Clash of the Aurors
by Daughter of Thranduil
Summary: Newt, back in New York, gets a letter telling him his brother Theseus will be visiting in a few days and promptly stresses out. Just wait till Theseus finds out how much danger he's put himself in! His new friends from MACUSA totally misread the cause of his stress and assume that Theseus Scamander is a bully. Set in the same universe as my Cosima Scamander story.
1. Chapter 1

**This is set in the same universe as my story _Cosima Scamander and the Chamber of Secrets_ and is the tale Tina tells her children over Christmas dinner. Please note this fic will be definitely be classed as AU: my Theseus will definitely not be going near Leta Lestrange; he's got Newt's back.**

* * *

Newt Scamander watched the sun rise over New York with a content smile, his hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea. He'd risen early, as always, to ensure that all the inhabitants of his now-infamous suitcase were fed, content and – most importantly – still where they ought to be.

He'd petted the mooncalves, chatted with the bowtruckles, smiled fondly at the enclosure which had housed the now-free Frank and had lost himself for a couple of hours in the all-encompassing love which swelled in his chest like a balloon whenever he was around his beloved creatures. No matter how celebrated and feted he had become following the Grindelwald incident, these fantastic beasts would always be his life's truest joy and his greatest purpose.

Now though, he sat by the window of his small flat and watched the cold winter sun slowly creep over the gargantuan, intimidating buildings of the New York skyline, bathing the concrete jungle with its warm orange glow.

It had been six months since Newt's first adventure in America had come to its dramatic conclusion and led to the capture of Gellert Grindelwald - anti-muggle fanatic and the darkest wizard of the age. Since then, he had returned to Britain and published the culmination of all his studies and travel: _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. It had been an instant hit! To his bemusement and dismay, he'd become something of an instant celebrity; not a particularly rewarding circumstance for a man who wasn't all too keen on creatures of the human variety at the best of times.

After some weeks of being pestered for autographs any time he went to Diagon Alley, being hounded by reporters for quotes for the _Daily Prophet,_ and being treated like a friend by witches and wizards who had never given him the time of day before, he decided that it was really only fair that he returned to New York. After all, hadn't he promised to deliver Tina Goldstein's copy of _Fantastic Beasts_ in person? And didn't he owe it to Tina, Queenie and indeed MACUSA to try and help with the ongoing fallout of the incident he'd technically started when his niffler wreaked havoc on a bank? He'd made a mealy-mouthed explanation to his boss at the Ministry about wishing to study pukwudgies in greater depth and promptly boarded the boat back to New York.

Unused to people being genuinely pleased to see him, he'd been rather moved by the warm welcome he'd received from the Goldstein sisters (he blushed as he remembered Tina's enthusiastic hug), who had insisted that he stayed with them again. He couldn't possibly have imposed in such a manner though, and had consequently taken a small garret apartment reasonably near MACUSA and within walking distance of Jacob Kowalski's bakery.

He'd been overjoyed to find that his muggle friend had regained his memory – something that Tina and Queenie were taking care to keep from their colleagues at MACUSA – and the four of them had spent many happy hours over dinners at the Goldstein apartment or pastries at the bakery. Being liked, and what's more liking other people, was still such a novel experience for Newt and he found himself basking in it like a child at Christmas.

His treatment in MACUSA was much more enjoyable this time around as well. Madame Picquery had actually apologised to him and Tina for their close call with death, and he found that he was treated with no small degree of respect by many of the aurors and administrators. Percival Graves – the real one, who had been discovered shortly after Grindelwald's incarceration – had become a good friend.

It was, in short, the happiest period of Newt's life and if he could only move his mother and his brother to New York too, he would have absolutely nothing in the world to wish for!

The sun was climbing steadily higher now, soaring into the air like a phoenix and bringing with it the flurry of movement in the streets below that signalled that all those without a hoard of magical creatures to care for were now up and about.

Stretching like a contented nundu, Newt drained the last of his tea, vanished his mug and then donned his coat. He checked Pickett was secure in his pocket, grabbed his case and then headed down the stairs and into the streets to buy breakfast from his favourite muggle.

* * *

He was just finishing a delicious pastry shaped like a niffler and filled with orange crème patissière when he bumped into Tina and Queenie at the entrance to MACUSA.

"Newt, hey!" Tina smiled brightly at him and Newt felt a pleasurable warmth spread through his chest at the sight of her. Tina had such a lovely smile. He wished he could see it always; wished he could get up the courage to hell her how he really felt, but the very thought made his throat close up in alarm. When he'd returned to New York, he'd secured Queenie's promise that she would never try to read his mind. That was turning out to be rather a relief, given the amount of time he found himself thinking about her sister.

He felt a blush creeping into his cheeks and hurriedly snapped himself out of it, realising that he had actually missed part of what Tina had been saying while they had been walking into the grand entrance hall of MACUSA.

"…and you were right, the leads we've got have indicated that Thunderbird trafficking is still going on. Mr Graves is going to give us an update – he said to go to his office as soon as we arrived."

Newt and Tina parted ways from Queenie, who strolled off towards her own team, and got into the elevator to travel up to the floor which housed the auror's offices. Tina, much to Newt's pride, had been rightfully restored to the office she had occupied before her demotion, which she shared with a tall, friendly Latino man called Martinez. It had become a familiar place now, after so many weeks in New York, and was generally the place in which Newt based himself when he was in MACUSA.

The elevator doors sprang open and Newt and Tina started off down the corridor, still deep in conversation about Thunderbirds. They were unexpectedly stopped however by one of the Auror department's secretarial staff.

"Hey, Mr Scamander, there's a letter arrived for you this morning from England," said the woman cheerfully, handing over an envelope. Newt took it, a little puzzled – only a handful of people know that he had gone to New York, and he certainly wasn't expecting much by the way of correspondence. He peered curiously at the parchment before he spotted the neat, even handwriting that was almost as familiar to him as his own.

The letter was from his big brother.

Newt felt fervent relief course through him. He'd hoped to see Theseus when he was back in Blighty, but his brother had been in deep cover on a months-long mission in Austria, trying to crack Grindelwald's inner circle alongside Patroclus Janvier, the French ministry's chief auror. However, if Theseus was now able to write to him, it must mean that he was now safely returned home.

It had been disappointing to have missed him; Newt and Theseus were as close as brothers could be, and always had been so. At Hogwarts, though he'd never fitted in, few people had been brave enough to be actively unkind to Newt when his fierce elder brother had been around to protect him – especially after that incident when one of the meaner Slytherins had locked him in a quidditch equipment cupboard in his second year. How Theseus had not lost his prefect badge after he'd broken Gaius Avery's nose in the muggle fashion and had to restrained by his friends before he could do worse, Newt had never quite found out!

It was thanks to Theseus that he even had a job in the ministry in the first place – having been expelled from Hogwarts before you could sit your OWLs didn't really endear one to employers! Theseus, freshly back from the War in France and covered in glory thanks to his actions on the Somme, had made enquires with the Department of Magical Creatures and the Ministry had been unable to refuse the hero of the hour.

The letter was a fairly brief one.

 ** _Dear Newt,_**

 ** _Just got back from my mission in Austria and hoped to catch up, but I find you're now the_ Prophet's _flavour of the month and have since buggered off back across the pond!_**

 ** _Got the letter you left for me, and frankly you can be glad you were out of throttling distance when I read it. I came this close to sending a howler!_ _HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO KEEP GETTING INTO THESE INSANELY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS?!_ _I mean, you've gotten yourself into some pretty bloody daft scrapes in the past, but getting sentenced to death and duelling the darkest wizard of our age in a single day takes the cake even for you!_**

 ** _Since you've run off to New York again, I will have to come and catch up with you over there. Have got a few weeks leave from the Ministry and they want me to drop off some classified documents to MACUSA anyway. I should be arriving on 4_ _th_ _of December._**

 ** _Try not to get into ** _any more trouble before I get there!_**_**

 ** _Theseus_**

Ah, yes. There it was – the one bone of contention in the brothers' relationship. Theseus, while always Newt's biggest supporter, was decidedly _not_ fond of the way in which his brother seemed to attract danger. Why on earth had he been silly enough to write down a full, detailed account of all the danger he'd been through? Merlin's beard, Theseus was going to kill him. And the fourth of December was just two days away...

"Newt, is everything ok?" asked Tina anxiously. "You've gone kinda pale!"

"Oh no," Newt groaned, more to himself than to Tina. "I am in _so_ much trouble!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks very much to those who have left reviews so far - it really helps with motivating me to write more!**

 **I've seen _The Crimes of Grindelwald_ and I thought Callum Turner did a great job as Theseus but as I had Theseus feature in my other Potterverse story long before Callum was cast, I headcanon Theseus as looking like a young Rupert Penry-Jones. That's the face-cast I'll be using for this story too.**

* * *

Later that day, while Newt was poring through the MACUSA archives following up a potential lead on the Thunderbird trafficking ring, Percival Graves and the Goldstein sisters sat in conference over coffee inside the head auror's office.

"He really seemed that anxious that his brother was coming to see him?" Queenie pressed her sister. "I thought he'd be happy!"

"Yes, I know. I'm worried about him," said Tina frankly. "The minute he saw the letter that said his brother was coming to over here, he started to panic. He kept saying 'he's going to kill me' and then 'actually, maybe you shouldn't tell him about this…or that…or that…'. It's like he wanted to totally hide his part in what happened with Grindelwald, when he should be praised for saving our entire city! And he said something about his brother never having approved of all his travelling. Mr Graves, sir, you knew Newt's brother in the war, didn't you?"

"Yes, I knew Theseus," Graves nodded, casting his mind back to the young, charismatic auror who'd led a suicidal charge of wizards onto the Somme and helped bring that cataclysmic battle to an end. "We shared a trench with some of the British contingent for a few months. I haven't seen him for years though; we've only exchanged letters since."

"What was he like?" Tina pressed.

"He was brave as hell," Graves answered honestly. "And talented – I don't think I ever saw him lose a fight the entire time I was in France. There was a whole crowd of them – little more than kids, fresh out of school and defying their Ministry to be there. Theseus was the one calling the shots - he was the natural commander. That unit of his saved something like a hundred thousand no-majs towards the end of the war so they gave him the Order of Merlin First Class when he got back and then made him the poster boy for the British Aurors. He's pretty high up in the department now."

"You think it maybe went to his head?" Tina mused. "And he doesn't like to share the spotlight? Perhaps that's why Newt doesn't want him to know he's the hero over here."

"I don't know, maybe Newt's just overreacting?" Queenie suggested softly. "I'd look further into it, but he asked me to promise I wouldn't read his mind, and I don't want to break my word."

"I think I remember Theseus ranting about Newt during the war, now I come to think of it," Graves squinted as he mentally searched back through memories of a terrible time that he generally preferred to forget. "I can't remember what the cause was – but he got a letter and I heard him spouting off to his friends about his 'bloody little idiot of a brother'."

"Okay, so maybe he's not overreacting," Tina's tone grew flat. "Maybe his brother is just not a very nice guy. I mean, if I hadn't seen Queenie for months, I'd be excited she was visiting, not afraid of it."

"We can keep an eye on Newt though," Queenie soothed her at once. "We all owe him so much – you'd both be dead without him and I'd have nothing left! We won't let anyone bully him, war hero or not. He's such a sweetie he probably just isn't used to standing up for himself."

"Agreed," Percival Graves nodded. Without Newt's unmasking of Grindelwald he would have starved to death locked away in his own cellar and Goldstein would have been executed apparently under his orders. "The British aurors are our allies, but that doesn't mean we have to let them away with behaving like jerks. When Theseus turns up, we watch him closely. If he hurts his brother, we stop it immediately!"

"And remind him that just because Newt's not a war hero, it doesn't mean he doesn't have friends to watch his back!" said Tina fiercely.

* * *

On the morning of the 4th of December, Newt found himself waiting expectantly by the docks as the passengers of the liner on which his brother had travelled disembarked. He'd been a little surprised at first that Theseus hadn't just travelled by portkey – given his connections at the ministry, he would certainly have had no problems in securing one – but he supposed after months in deep cover in Austria, perhaps his brother had just wanted to have some time to himself for a few days!

He waited impatiently as the line of passengers slowly came through customs in dribs and drabs, scanning the crowd all the while. Soon enough though, he spotted an all too familiar tall fair-haired figure and waved over to him eagerly.

Theseus spotted him at once and a grin spread across his face as he detached himself from the crowd and strode quickly towards Newt. Newt felt a pang in his chest and reflected that nine months really had been far, far too long to go without seeing each other – he suddenly realised just how much he had missed his brother's easy smile. He hurried forward to meet Theseus and the pair of them threw their arms around each other in a fierce hug.

"It's good to see you, little brother!" said Theseus warmly, patting his back affectionately.

"You too, Thee!" Newt responded in the same tone, before stepping back to have a look at his brother properly.

It was, in many ways, like looking into a mirror. The Scamander brothers, as everyone of their acquaintance liked to constantly remind them, were very alike. They had the same grey-green eyes, the same freckles, the same bone structure and the same smile. Theseus was a couple of inches taller, slightly broader and his hair was a little blonder but those were about the only differences in their looks.

Theseus was dressed smartly in a neatly-tailored muggle suit and a grey overcoat. Around his neck was a red and gold scarf; a brother to Newt's own yellow and black one. The smart cut of the suit though made it easy to see that his brother had lost a bit of weight since they'd last met and when Newt raised concerned eyes to Theseus's face, he noticed that, close up, the elder Scamander looked pale and weary.

"You're awfully thin, Theseus," Newt said reproachfully. "Have you been eating properly since you got back from Europe?"

"As much as I can, I suppose," Theseus shrugged with a tired smile. "It's been mayhem these last few months with Grindelwald's supporters playing merry hell across Europe, and once we got back Janvier and I had so much to debrief on; there were three days of hearings. I'll fill you in on it all later. But I'm on holiday now and under strict instructions from Mum not to come home until I've fattened up a bit!"

Newt chuckled, taking his brother's arm and guiding him away from the crowd. "Well, as it happens, I know just the place for us to start then!" he declared. "As it's under Mum's instructions, I shan't feel too guilty about stuffing you full of pastries!"

"I've got some documents for MACUSA," Theseus protested, gesturing to a case that Newt was certain _did not_ contain any nifflers, erumpents or indeed anything outside the ordinary.

"They've waited a few days," Newt said dismissively. "I'm sure they can wait until you've had breakfast. Come along, Jacob makes the most wonderful things, but there's always a queue and if we're not quick then we'll miss out!"

With an indulgent smile, Theseus let himself be towed along by his younger brother until they reached a convenient alleyway. Ducking inside, Newt took Theseus's arm and disapparated; the pair reappearing in another alleyway a couple of streets (or a block as Tina and Queenie called it) away from Jacob's bakery.

"A friend of mine owns it," Newt informed his brother as they made their way back out onto a main thoroughfare which was, according to a nearby sign, named 'Orchard Street'. He missed Theseus's bright, pleased smile at being informed his brother had a friend. "Jacob Kowalski – he's a muggle you know, awfully nice chap. They obliviated him actually, but he's got his memory back and so he knows all about magic. I'd, um, appreciate it if you could perhaps not mention that around anyone at MACUSA?"

Theseus, who was an outspoken supporter of muggle rights and relations in the Ministry back home, merely nodded approvingly. As they came to a halt outside a bright, clean shop front which stood out from amongst its dingier neighbours, he spotted the name 'Kowalski' in gold lettering above the door. The enticing smell of buttery pastry, cinnamon and vanilla wafted out and Theseus's stomach reminded him with an angry grumble that it had been much neglected of late.

When they stepped inside, the shop was absolutely full of people, all chattering cheerfully amongst themselves as they picked out their products of choice and waited to be served. Baskets of freshly baked loaves lined the shelves, supplemented by collections of buns and croissants. Clearly in charge was a stout, dark haired man with a wide, good-humoured smile and kind eyes. He was wearing a pristinely white apron and giving instructions to his numerous young assistants while taking payment behind one of those things that muggles called 'tills'.

"What do you fancy?" Newt prompted him out of his observations, pointing at the glass display full of dainty confections. "It's my treat."

Theseus suppressed a chuckle when he stared at the contents of the cabinets. Before him were iced demiguises, pastry nifflers and erumpents that seemed to be filled with crème like eclairs. The chap who owned this place could not be more clearly a friend of Newt's! Theseus could only hope no one from MACUSA actually stepped inside here and saw these or it wouldn't take long for someone to put two and two together.

"They all look delicious," he told Newt honestly. "Choose whatever you recommend."

"Newt!" the dark-haired muggle greeted the younger Scamander with a wide, genuine smile as they got to the front of the queue. Theseus decided immediately that he liked him. "How are ya, buddy? I haven't seen you for a couple of days."

"I'm well," Newt smiled, before gesturing to Theseus. "Jacob, this is my brother Theseus Scamander. Thee, this is Jacob Kowalski. I met him on my first day here in New York."

"I can see the resemblance," Jacob extended his hand to Theseus with the same smile he'd given Newt. "So are you a, you know…" He gave a twirl of his hand that was obviously meant to be an approximation of waving a wand. "As well?"

"I am, yes," Theseus responded with a grin. He'd really never understood the American attitude to muggles – it seemed such a pointless piece of prejudice. And of course, he was ready to approve of anyone who appreciated Newt in the way he deserved.

"He's an auror, just like Tina," Newt explained. "And he hasn't eaten properly in a while. I thought I'd best remedy that immediately."

"Say no more!" Jacob reached for a brown paper bag and shook it open. "What can I get you for you guys?"

Newt chose half a dozen pastries, all of which looked superb, and paid Jacob for them. Telling the cheerful muggle that he must come over for dinner as soon as Theseus was settled in, they bid him farewell and went back out into the street. Both brothers would have happily stayed to chat to him longer, but there was a queue of equally-hungry customers who Jacob could not neglect.

"We've time to look in at my flat before we need to be at MACUSA," Newt said, checking his watch. "You can leave all your things there. You'll be staying with me of course."

"No no," Theseus assured him at once. He was ridiculously pleased to hear that Newt had made numerous friends in New York and was anxious not to monopolise all his brother's time. "I had planned on getting a hotel room, you needn't put yourself out."

"Don't be silly." Newt waved aside his objections with uncharacteristic firmness. "Of course you are staying with me!"

They apparated back to Newt's flat and consumed the bag of pasties over a large pot of coffee. Newt had not been exaggerating when he'd said that Jacob was an exceptional baker – Theseus hadn't eaten anything so lovely in quite a while and he wolfed his share of the treats down in a way that would have made their mother box his ears.

As they ate, Newt pressed Theseus for details on how their mother was and several other mutual acquaintances. He was pleased to hear that his book had stimulated some discussions at the Ministry about reclassifying some of the less-dangerous magical beasts and blushed violently when Theseus teased him over the fact that several young witches of their acquaintance had asked Theseus for photographs of his brother since he'd become a celebrity.

"But of course, I gather your affections are spoken for now, aren't they…" Theseus teased, waggling his eyebrows impishly. "The name 'Tina' seemed to crop up in your letter an awful lot."

"That's not…I mean…she's…" Newt sputtered, flushing an even deeper scarlet. "Oh bugger off, Theseus! Anyway, we'd best be heading off now if we want to get to MACUSA on time and _don't you dare_ say anything in front of her!"

Theseus hadn't the heart to tease his brother any further – Newt had always struggled to fit in and he was gladder than he could express to see that his brother had finally found some people who understood him. As they left Newt's apartment again, he kindly changed the subject.

"Your muggle friend could put even Mum's baking to shame," he told Newt. "If I stayed in New York, I'd look like the Fat Friar in no time! How was it that you two actually met anyway? I don't think you mentioned it in your letter."

Newt sheepishly recounted his meeting with Jacob as they walked the short distance to MACUSA. Theseus looked torn between amusement and exasperation throughout.

"Honestly, that niffler is a bloody menace!" he scolded Newt, as they walked through the doors to MACUSA. "I've warned you about him a dozen times before. You're lucky they were already distracted with Grindelwald's activities or you could have wound up properly arrested! Bank robbery?! Honestly, Newt! I swear to Merlin, only you…"

"Mr Graves!" Newt cut the scolding off hurriedly, spotting Percival Graves who had been approaching them and had evidently heard the end of their conversation. He knew he was going to get a fairly epic dressing down from Theseus at some point over his behaviour in New York, but he could hopefully postpone it for now. He looked past Graves' shoulder, eager to see if he could catch sight of Tina. She was rapidly becoming the most important person in his life outside of his mum and brother and he couldn't wait to introduce her to Theseus, desperate for them to like each other.

Theseus turned around at the interruption, his exasperated expression morphing into a smile when he spotted Graves. Newt had always envied Theseus his easy, outgoing charm. The elder brother had managed to make friends wherever he went for his entire life.

"Percy!" Theseus grinned, holding out a hand towards his old war comrade. "Long time no see!"

Grave's expression had no such warmth – in fact, it was downright standoffish. Though he shook Theseus's hand, he didn't seem to be particularly enthusiastic to be reunited with his penpal.

"Scamander," he said, coldly. "Welcome to MACUSA. If you want to come up to my office, we'll get those documents signed off."

With that, he turned and headed for the elevator, leaving Theseus staring after him in bemusement.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you everyone who has followed or favourite the story so far - I don't think any work I've posted on here has ever got so much traction so quickly!**

 **And now, back to MACUSA, where poor Tina, Queenie and Percival are misunderstanding everything SO badly!**

* * *

Tina Goldstein was sipping a welcome first coffee of the day at her desk, when Percival Graves poked his head around her office door. He looked serious; even more so than normal. It was a running joke in the auror department that he was 'Graves' by name and nature.

"Goldstein, he's here," he said without preamble. Tina did not need to ask who the 'he' in question was. They'd been expecting Newt's brother for the last few days – in fact, they'd all wanted to go with Newt to meet him but had been unable to think of a convincing reason why he shouldn't greet his brother alone.

"And?" she responded expectantly, glad Martinez had the day off today – they were able to speak plainly without running the risk of publically embarrassing Newt. They didn't want the other aurors thinking him some sort of damsel in distress. But Newt was so mild-mannered, so trusting and evidently so afraid of Theseus's disapproval that it was easy to imagine an overbearing war hero brother walking all over him.

"He was chewing Newt out when they arrived, evidently hadn't waited before tearing into him," Graves said, a touch of asperity in his tone. "Changed his tone the minute he saw me, of course, and tried to turn on the charm but I get the feeling you may have been right."

"So do you think he _is_ a bully then, sir?" Tina wondered aloud, feeling protectiveness for Newt flare up inside her like an angry Thunderbird. "Is Newt ok?"

"He wasn't saying anything to defend himself, he was just going along with it. I don't think he realises he deserves to be treated with more respect!" Graves replied. "He wants to introduce you – you may as well come through while we get the transfer of reports from the British Ministry finalised."

Tina followed her boss down the corridor and stepped into Mr Graves' office. Her attention was drawn to tall, fair haired figure who was so like Newt that he could only be Theseus Scamander. Seeming to fill the room, for all he was so slim, Theseus was dominating the conversation he was having with his brother, using his hands expressively while he spoke, a distinctly dry tone to his voice. Newt looked uncharacteristically meek, a blush high on his cheekbones, though he brightened up as soon as he saw her. Tina tried not let her own face go red at that.

"Tina," Newt leapt out of his chair with a smile – Tina thought she'd never seen such a kind smile in all her life. Everything about Newt made her want to keep him safe and happy. She didn't care how many decorations Theseus had been awarded – she was not in any way going to let him intimidate Newt. "Theseus, let me introduce you to Tina Goldstein. Tina, this is my brother Theseus. I think I mentioned that he is an auror too."

"Ah, Miss Goldstein…what a pleasure…" Theseus gave Newt a cheeky wink and then turned to her with a charming smile. She was unmoved. "I gather you've been keeping my little brother out of trouble while he's been here. I'm glad someone has!"

Tina felt fury surge inside her at such an obviously patronising slight to Newt's capabilities. "Your brother is a hero, Mr Scamander," she said flatly, shaking his hand for the shortest possible amount of time she could without giving anything away to Newt. "He doesn't need to be kept out of trouble. The world could use a dozen more people like him!"

Theseus turned back to Newt with a grin and raised his eyebrows pointedly, while his younger brother ducked his head in embarrassment – Tina was furious; how dare Theseus mock Newt so openly?!

"I think I'll leave the heroics to Theseus here," Newt mumbled self-depreciatingly, his face a brilliant red. "He's much more suited to it!"

"I don't know; I think _Witch Weekly_ would happily have you on the cover again!" Theseus joked and Newt seemed to go even redder. Tina was filled with a sudden urge to act like a no-maj and slap Theseus's grinning face.

"If we can get these reports signed off," Graves interrupted in a business-like tone. "We can let you get on with your holiday." Tina, who had known Graves for years, heard the obvious subtext: _the sooner we can get rid of you, the better_.

"Good idea, Perce," Theseus, evidently not taking the hint, seemed happy enough retrieved a stack of documents from his case. "I need to keep an eye on the time. I've got an appointment with Madam Picquery at eleven."

"With Madam Picquery?" Newt questioned, sounding a little surprised.

"Mmmm," Theseus nodded, leafing through the pile of documents before looking up at Newt with a stern, distinctly unimpressed expression. "The Ministry would like some answers on how it was you came to be _condemned to death_."

"Well, actually, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Newt began pleadingly, shooting a worried look at Tina and Graves.

"Oh no," Theseus waved him off grimly and Newt at once fell sheepishly silent. Tina hated it. "No. Don't you even try it, Newton! I've got plenty to say to you about that later, but for now, this in on the Ministry's behalf and Minister Fawley has some considerable concerns."

Thankfully the stack off official papers Theseus had brought out provided an adequate distraction and Tina had the satisfaction of seeing the British auror rebuffed every time he tried to start a conversation with Graves. He referred to several old war stories, probably wanting to show off, Tina thought, but Mr Graves largely shut him down before the conversation could get going.

Theseus seemed a little confused by that – Tina supposed that he probably wasn't used to people refusing to flatter him – and after a while he eventually gave up. Once the documents were signed, he asked if Mr Graves could show him where Madam Picquery's office was but Newt volunteered to do so and the two brothers left the office together.

"Pompous jerk!" Tina ground out, once he was gone. "Did you see the way he spoke to Newt?"

"I guess the 'war hero' label really did go to his head," Graves said flatly. "It's a shame; I used to like him!"

* * *

The meeting with Madame Picquery overran and so Tina did not see Theseus again until later that afternoon, when she, Graves and Newt stepped into the MACUSA staff refectory for their afternoon break, Queenie coming at once to join them.

A small admiring crowd immediately formed around Theseus as he entered the room and went to get a cup of coffee. Tina was disgusted to see some of her colleagues positively fawn over him. He gave them the same charming smile he had given Tina herself and seemed to revel in the attention, but it was clearly an act. He'd looked furious when he came in and Tina fervently hoped that Madam Picquery had put him firmly in his place.

"I think I'd better go and rescue him," said Newt with a chuckle, getting to his feet and heading over to where the small crowd had formed around his brother.

"Queenie, what can you get from him?" pressed Tina at once, as soon as Newt was out of earshot. "Besides that he's a swaggering, overbearing bully!"

"I can't get anything!" Queenie said, a frown creasing her beautiful face as she stared at Theseus in confusion. The crowd had dispersed now and he was talking to Newt quietly, a testy expression on his face.

"What, at all?" Tina asks, puzzled. "Why not?"

"Teen, he's an Occlumens!" Queenie gasped, clutching her sister's arm as she realised the source of the nothingness she felt when she brushed against Theseus's mind. "He's shielding all his thoughts – there ain't even a crack I can get through!"

"He must have something to hide!" Tina said darkly, her suspicions now all confirmed. "No one goes around shielding like that for no reason. Newt must have told him you were a Legilimens – he's making sure we can't unmask him for what he really is! We need to stick with Newt as much as we can when he's here all right?"

"Don't worry, Teenie," Queenie assured her quietly, her voice dropping to a whisper as Newt and Theseus began to walk back towards the table. "We'll look after him."

* * *

Theseus had always joked after the war that American magic users were a funny lot, but his reception in New York had been more than a little puzzling. He'd been here for four days now and Newt's new friends here had made it blatantly obvious that he was not welcome…though, to their credit, they were doing it in such a way that Newt didn't seem to realise what was going on.

While Theseus had long since grown fed up of being fussed over as a war hero – personally he didn't think staying alive when so many of your friends died horribly made one all that special at all – he wasn't used to such open hostility. He'd made friends easily all his life, used to being, if not liked, then at least respected, and he couldn't help feeling a little stung by his reception here.

Though his main reason for visiting New York had of course been to have a long-overdue catch up with his little brother, he'd honestly looked forward to seeing Percival Graves again. Though they'd not met face to face since the early years after the war, they had corresponded fairly frequently ever since and Theseus appreciated the American man's dry sense of humour and no-nonsense approach to his job. They'd shared several perilous missions during the war and had, so Theseus thought, formed a genuine friendship. However, every time Theseus had tried so much as to have a conversation with the man, he'd been blatantly snubbed, except for the few occasions when Newt had been present.

On the first day of his visit, he'd invited Percival out for a drink after work with the aim of sharing auror-specific news and probably doing a little reminiscing about their time in France. He may also have had the slightly ulterior motive of trying to occupy himself for the evening so Newt would not feel obliged to keep him company and could instead spend time with the Goldstein girl he was so obviously batty about, but no one else needed to know about that.

It was to no avail though – Graves turned him down with the excuse that he had a meeting with representatives from the International Confederation, despite his _just_ having left such a meeting when Theseus came across him and made the offer. It was so obviously a lie that Theseus was genuinely a little embarrassed for him.

He'd extended the invitation on two other occasions since then, and both had had the same results; flimsy obvious lies and refusals. Guiltily, he wondered if Graves was angry at him for not having spotted that the last few letters he had received from the man were not from Graves at all, but from Grindelwald posing as Graves. But when he'd tried to apologise for having been so deceived, Graves had barely let on that Theseus had spoken and had even once backed out through a door he'd just come in rather than speak to him, unaware that Theseus had already seen him out of the corner of his eye.

It was a shame, Theseus mused, that a decade's worth of friendship seemed to have suddenly and abruptly ended for no discernible reason, but he soon realised that there was more to it than just Percival Graves. America's chief auror was not the only one treating him with hostility: the more time Theseus spent around Tina Goldstein, the more obvious it was that she couldn't stand him. Any time he joked around with Newt in their usual manner, she seemed to be offended by it and any time he tried to make conversation with her, largely for Newt's sake, and ask questions about her work, she would respond with pointed comments about how it would be uninteresting for a _hero_ like him. She always said the word hero as though it was a synonym for 'cockroach'. Her beautiful sister, meanwhile, did little else but stare at Theseus as though he were some odd and frustrating puzzle.

He'd obviously made a wrong step somewhere, but he could not for the life of him understand what it had been. He didn't think he'd said anything offensive…had he? Back in the war, there had been a fair bit of joshing and snarky banter between the British/French and American aurors but he hadn't made any jokes about that – he'd never gotten far enough into conversation with any of them to do so.

He wondered if they feared he was here to try and convince Newt to come back to England and that's why they were so unfriendly. But then that wouldn't account for the rest of the auror department deciding after a day to follow Graves and Goldstein's example and cold-shoulder him whenever they could. Perhaps it was the angry tirade he'd launched at Seraphina Picquery for having _condemned his little brother to death without trial._ She'd not had a remotely satisfactory excuse and Theseus hoped Minister Fawley did indeed raise the incident with the International Confederation. It would serve their incompetence right!

(He'd also expressed himself at great length to Newt about the matter; making it very clear _exactly_ how he felt about his little brother taking such cavalier risks with his life and constantly endangering his safety. But it was no use, he'd never been able to say mad at Newt and once it was out of his system, he'd forgiven his brother by the end of the evening. It was just as well because the atmosphere in MACUSA went from cold to utterly glacial the following day.)

He wracked his brains time and time again for a root cause, but failed each time to come up with an answer. He could, he supposed, have simply asked Newt but upon seeing how utterly and completely _happy_ Newt was here, he did not want to do anything to jeopardise it. Besides, Theseus had been a bloody Gryffindor hadn't he? And hadn't he just survived four months amongst some of most dangerous wizards in Europe? He could surely bear a little unfriendliness for his brother's sake: he just had to tough it out a while longer.

By the third day of his visit, he stopped accompanying Newt to MACUSA, instead excusing himself to do a little exploration of New York City; which, he discovered, was a frightfully interesting place and full of ingenious muggles. He observed the work on a skyscraper in Manhattan which was going to apparently be the tallest in the entire world when it was complete. He went into a 'movie theatre' and watched what was called a 'talking picture' about Robin Hood. It was vastly entertaining to see what American muggles believed historic England looked like. He wondered what they would say if they knew that Robin of Huntingdon had in fact been a rebel wizard!

The next day, he had a stroll in the appropriately named Central Park and laughed wryly to himself when he thought about Newt's randy erumpent causing havoc here as it looked for a mate. He visited the zoo and found himself being taken up as a companion by an elderly Irish lady who spent the morning telling him all about her eleven grandchildren. She was so warm and humorous that Theseus found he didn't really mind; it was a welcome change to the tension of his evenings.

Bizarrely, though they all seemed not to like him very much, Tina, Queenie and Percival all seemed to constantly find excuses to appear at Newt's flat in the evenings and spend most of the night there with the Scamander brothers. Consequently, Theseus got to spend very little time alone with Newt and spent each night feeling as though he were walking on eggshells and trying to avoid exacerbating the offence that he had obviously unwittingly given in the first place. It was doubly unfortunate that Percy kept turning up because it also meant they couldn't invite Jacob Kowalski. Of all the friends his brother had made over here, Theseus much preferred the cheerful muggle!

The fifth day of his visit was a Friday. Theseus spent the pre-dawn hours helping Newt feed and water the inhabitants of his suitcase (he had to hand it to his brother, the interior was a frankly spectacular piece of spell work). Newt's niffler, a very old acquaintance, spent the entire time dogging his footsteps and eyeing Theseus's pocket watch hopefully.

"Oh no you don't, you little menace! You've caused enough trouble!" Theseus scolded him when the creature tried to make a grab for it when he sat down to take a break. He held out a silver muggle coin instead. "That's all you're getting. Take it or leave it." Grudgingly, the niffler took the coin and scurried back to his nest, evidently feeling that Theseus had been stingy.

Afterwards, once they were washed and dressed, Newt suggested a visit to Jacob's bakery and Theseus happily agreed, his mouth watering at the thought of more of those amazing pastries. They'd both just finished donning their coats when a knock sounded at the door. Evidently recognising the knock, Newt's entire face lit up and he hurried to unlock it. Sure enough, there on the threshold was Tina Goldstein.

"Tina," Newt greeted her bashfully, Theseus watching him fondly. Merlin, he really had fallen hard! "We were just going to get some breakfast from Jacob's bakery. What with Mr Graves joining us so often this week, I haven't had the chance to see him since Monday. Would you like to join us?"

"No thank you," Tina gave him a smile in return, before glancing coolly over at Theseus. "Newt, we've managed to find the guy who's been trafficking the Thunderbirds. We thought you might want to be there when we brought him in. We're heading over the Long Island right now."

"Want some help?" Theseus offered in the most polite tone he could.

"No thanks, Mr Scamander," said Tina, also with forced politeness. "Our team _is_ capable of handling this, you know."

"Sorry, to rush out on you like this, Thee," said Newt apologetically. "I feel like I've done nothing but disappear on you all week! But I've been trying to find this man for over a month, it's frightfully important that…"

"It's all right, little brother," Theseus assured him with a genial pat to the shoulder. "I rather fancied visiting the Museum of Natural History today anyway – I'm sure I'll find plenty to occupy me there."

"Excellent! I've been meaning to go for ages," Newt grinned happily at him. "You must tell me all about it at dinner. We were going to go to a restaurant that Tina recommended and all meet there at six. I thought we could just head there together, but I'm not sure how long I'll be in Long Island and then tied up at MACUSA. Tina, could you leave him some directions to the place?"

"Of course," said Tina, not sounding particularly enthused about the prospect, but she duly scribbled a few sentences down on a piece of parchment and passed it to Theseus.

Theseus forced a smile, popped the directions into his pocket and bade Newt farewell as he and Tina hurried away. Then, with nothing else to do, he strolled out into Manhattan to buy some breakfast.

The Museum of Natural History truly was fascinating; reminding Theseus of some of his NEWT Muggle Studies classes, which had been his favourites alongside Defence Against the Dark Arts. It seemed exactly the sort of place Newt would love – though he wasn't sure how his brother would feel about the stuffed dead animals – and Theseus resolved to come here again with Newt, just Newt, before he had to return to London.

Naturally gregarious, Theseus found himself falling into conversation with some of the muggle visitors, many of whom were tourists from other parts of America. They all had interesting stories to tell; and he wound up getting lunch in the café with a cheerful Californian fellow who reminded Theseus enormously of Steven Travers, one of his best friends and a fellow auror.

Before he knew it, the whole day had disappeared and he realised that he would have to get a move on if he was to meet Newt, Percival and the Goldsteins at the allotted time. Fishing Tina's directions out of his pocket, he caught the subway to the district she'd noted and then followed the more specific directions, until…

…he found himself facing a fishmonger's shop.

He reviewed the directions once more, and then again a third time to see if he had made a mistake, but he hadn't deviated from them. His stomach twisted unpleasantly. It might have been an accident, of course, he mused, but given how overtly hostile Newt's new friends had been since he arrived, it seemed far more likely that Tina had done this on purpose to ensure that Theseus wouldn't infringe upon their evening. As they had not mentioned the name of the restaurant, he couldn't ask anyone else for directions either. Ducking into a discreet alleyway, he had no more ado but to apparate back to Newt's flat, his appetite completely gone.

Newt returned close to ten o'clock, pinning Theseus with a reproachful glance as took of his shoes. "Thee, we missed you tonight," he told him. "Why didn't you join us?"

"I tried to," Theseus responded honestly, pretending to find the situation funny. "But there seemed to be some sort of error with the directions. They took me to a fishmonger's shop instead. I thought it was unlikely you wanted to dine there, unless it's some American fad I've not heard about!"

"Oh Merlin's beard, I'm so sorry!" Newt exclaimed, immediately apologetic. "If I'd known, I could have apparated back here and side-alonged you to the place. Tina will be mortified that she gave you the wrong instructions!"

Theseus privately doubted that, but said nothing aloud, instead asking Newt if he'd enjoyed the evening.

"It was lovely," Newt smiled, coming to join him on the sofa. "Tina looked wonderful. Have you noticed she's got the most marvellous eyes…"

That night, Theseus lay awake on the bed he'd transfigured Newt's sofa into every night. He knew his brother well and even if he hadn't picked it up from his actions, the hour long conversation about Tina's beauty more than gave it away. Though he was too trusting and more than a little naïve, Newt didn't give his heart away easily. If he was taken with that Goldstein girl, he'd be in it for the long haul. Which might mean Newt eventually settling down and starting a family over here in New York.

On one hand, Theseus would be delighted to see his brother so happy, but a small voice took up residence at the back of his mind – wondering dolefully that if Newt wound up surrounding himself with people among whom Theseus was so obviously unwelcome, would he gradually cease to be part of his little brother's life all together? The thought brought a strange lump to his throat.

 _Get a grip of yourself, Theseus Scamander_ , he told himself sharply. _And don't be so bloody selfish. Be happy that he's happy_.

Still though, he didn't have a particularly good night's sleep.

* * *

He bore two more days of barbed comments and rebuffed attempts at being friendly, but Theseus at last had had enough. He still had no idea what he'd done to make himself so unpopular with the MACUSA staff but frankly it was starting to depress him. He loved Newt with a fierceness equalled only by his love for his Mother and one other person, but even for Newt's sake he could bear it no longer.

"I think it's about time I headed back to Blighty," he told Newt on the Sunday evening. For once, the two of them were alone, though who knew how long that would last!

"Not yet, surely!" Newt protested in dismay. "We've barely had any time to catch up at all, and anyway, you've not even put on a single pound. Mum will be terrifically cross with me for not feeding you up!"

"Well, I promise to protect you from Mum's wrath, as always," Theseus joked wryly. "But I'd better go and spend some time with her as well as long as I'm on leave. I'm not sure if I'll be sent back to Europe again immediately or not. And I haven't seen Phryne or Steve in ages either. You'll be home at New Year, though, won't you? We'll see each other then."

"All right, if you're sure you really must go," said Newt sadly, and Theseus's conscience smote him for being the cause of that look. "But we haven't even had a duel since you got here. You can't go back home before we at least have one round! I'll have you know I've vastly improved since last time, so you're not getting out of it!"

"Have you indeed?" Theseus grinned, falling back into their old familiar banter. "Well, _Newton_ , I've had rather a lot of practice myself lately. Are you sure you want to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Five galleons to the winner?" Newt suggested cheerfully, immediately waving the furniture out of the way with his wand, while Theseus cast soundproofing and indestructability spells on the walls of Newt's flat.

Then, down to waistcoats and shirt sleeves, they stood facing each other with identical grins. This was a long-running Scamander tradition that had started when Theseus had taught Newt how to fend off bullies at school. They'd been having friendly duels with each other ever since, every time they met up, and they kept a running tally of who won what. Though Theseus was undoubtedly the more powerful wizard, Newt had a sneaky and creative streak that made him a tough opponent and so wins were more evenly spread than one might think.

"Age before beauty, Thee!" Newt jibed, as they bowed to each other. He flashed Theseus a mischievous grin as they both flourished their wands. "You can have the first cast!"

"Fighting talk, pipsqueak!" Theseus returned with a smirk, and immediately sent a jinx flying from his wand, forcing Newt to drop quickly to the floor.

In minutes, a fully-fledged duel was underway and brightly coloured spells filled the air, punctuated by the incantations for various jinxes (though none that could cause any real danger to each other). Thoroughly enjoying each other's company, they were in high spirits; faces flushed and eyes shining as their wands flew back and forth and up and down; carving incandescent shapes into the air. Theseus was delighted to see that Newt really had much improved since their last match and Newt was elated to see Theseus looking more cheerful than he had in days.

In fact, so caught up were they in duelling each other than neither heard the door to Newt's flat open. Theseus had just yelled out the incantation for the jelly-legs jinx when three angry voices rang out simultaneously:

" _Stupefy_!"

The three stunning spells hit Theseus squarely in the chest simultaneously, sending him flying off his feet back across the room. He hit the brick wall with a sickening crack and slid to the floor unconscious, blood pulsing from the back of his head.

Utterly aghast, Newt spun round to see Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein and Percival Graves, each with their wands drawn out, standing in the doorway.

The three assailants exchanged slightly alarmed glances – they had each reacted on impulse and had assuredly not planned for three spells to be cast at the same instant. They'd only meant to incapacitate Newt's brother, not to seriously injure him.

"Theseus!" Newt was on his knees by his brother's side in an instant, panic clawing its way through his chest and up his throat. He shook Theseus's shoulders gently, but his brother was unresponsive. Newt's voice grew thick with unshed tears. "Theseus, wake up." He tapped the auror's cheek sharply several times, choking on a sob when he noticed just how much blood was now pooling underneath Theseus's head. " _Theseus!_ Thee, come on. Open your eyes. Thee, _please_!" Tears spilling down his cheeks, he turned a devastated, betrayed gaze to his three American friends, still standing in the doorway.

" _Why_?" he asked them, and promptly began to weep.


	4. Chapter 4

"How could you…?" Newt choked unsteadily, still tapping desperately at Theseus's face, trying to wake him up. It was to no avail though; his brother's head only lolled to the side with alarming lifelessness. " _Why_ would you…?"

"Newt, he was trying to hurt you!" cried Tina weakly, totally taken aback by Newt's devastation. The sight of him crying was almost physically painful to watch.

"Hurt me?" Newt scoffed incredulously, hovering protectively over Theseus as his brother's three assailants came closer. A tear dripped off his chin and onto Theseus's waistcoat. "Theseus has never hurt me in his entire _life_!"

"But he…he was firing jinxes at you!" Tina said, confused by the vehemence of Newt's defence of a brother who had spent all week making fun of him.

"We were duelling!" Newt cried emphatically, his face contorted with tearful fury. "We do it every time we meet up. I was giving just as good as I got! How could you think… _Don't touch him_!" The last sentence was snapped at Percival Graves who'd come to crouch down by Theseus and check his pulse.

"Newt, he's bleeding a lot!" Graves said gently, as though the magizoologist were a distressed child. "We need to get him checked over and get the wound seen to. I can apparate us to Isolde Sayre's Hospital. But I'm going to need to touch him first."

Newt stared at Graves for several seconds, his tearful eyes resentful and untrusting. Then he took another look at Theseus's unconscious, bleeding form and gave a shaky nod, scrubbing his shirt sleeve across his eyes.

Carefully, Percival Graves gathered up Theseus's tall, lean form with surprising ease. Newt cringed to see the savage wound on the back of his brother's head unveiled once he was lifted off the ground, and had to fight down a new flood of sobs. Tina hesitantly came to his side and went to take his hand, but Newt pointedly jerked it away and she was forced to clasp his forearm instead, her own eyes filling with tears.

An instant later, they were standing in the foyer of a large, airy hospital that Newt thought was not unlike St. Mungo's in London in its layout; Theseus's blood dripping onto the clean, shining tiled floor.

Immediately, a couple of healers darted towards them, their expressions taut with alarm. The first one to reach them conjured a hovering stretcher from nowhere and Graves carefully lowered Theseus down onto it.

"What the hell's happened to this one?" the healer demanded. He was a well-built dark haired man with a southern drawl.

"He was attacked!" Newt ground out angrily, but words failed him after that, his throat too tight with tears. He'd never in his entire life seen Theseus so defeated, and to think that his _friends_ had done it to him on Newt's behalf…

"He took three stunning spells to the chest and hit a brick wall with the impact." Graves, a veteran of many battles, was the only one managing to stay calm. "That was about ten to fifteen minutes ago. He hasn't regained consciousness since."

"His name and age?" asked the second healer, a slim African American woman with a gentle voice. A clipboard hovering next to her was taking notes of its own accord.

"Theseus Scamander," Newt told her, sniffing and trying to pull himself together. "He's thirty two."

"Is he an American citizen?" Newt's accent had made the woman pause.

"No, he works for the Ministry of Magic in Britain," Newt replied on auto-pilot, his eyes never leaving Theseus's face, watching the first healer's every move while he examined his brother with confident, gentle movements. "He's an auror. He was here…he was here on holiday."

"A British auror?" The woman's gaze switched to Graves. "You know we'll have to alert MACUSA that he's been assaulted?"

"I know the procedure," Graves nodded sharply, looking a little pale. Tina gave a distressed gasp at his side. "I can provide MACUSA with the necessary details."

"It's looking like a skull fracture at the very least. A proper examination will tell us for sure, though. Does Mr Scamander have any family or colleagues we should be alerting?" asked the male healer, evidently finished his preliminary checks. He waved his wand to have the stretcher move Theseus away.

"I'm his brother," said Newt quickly. "Can I stay with him?"

"Not right now, hon," said the woman kindly. "We need to assess the extent of his injury first. Head wounds can be difficult. If you'd like to take a seat over there and wait we'll let you know as soon as we're done and we can get him settled."

With no real choice but to obey, the small, subdued group went to take seats in a quiet, empty corner of the waiting area. Near them, a moving sign with glittering gold letters explained the layout of the building: floor one was for emergencies, floor two for burns, floor three for transfiguration accidents and so on and so forth. On the wall was a portrait of a pale faced, dark haired lady, with a plaque below it stating that this was 'Isolde Sayre'. For a moment no one spoke: the silence seemed so unbearably thick that it could be cut with a knife.

"Why did you think my brother was trying to hurt me?" Newt asked eventually, his voice terse and his eyes fixed on the floor. He was still shaking.

Graves, Tina and Queenie exchanged anxious glances and, finally, Tina was the one who answered. "Given how he's treated you all week," She began earnestly. "We thought it could be nothing less. Newt he made fun of you all the time, kept trying to show off and keep you out of the spotlight. He's a bully and you don't deserve…"

"A bully?! Theseus?" Newt's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with a sudden, rare anger. "He's nothing of the kind! He's…he's my best friend… how _dare_ you… he's the best brother in the world!"

"But you seemed so worried about him coming, honey," Queenie prompted gently. "You said you were gonna be in so much trouble with him. You didn't want us to tell him about all the brave stuff you did."

"Yes, because he fusses all the time!" Newt said, as though it should be blatantly obvious. "He always overreacts and gets protective when I've been in danger, and I knew he'd never let me hear the end of getting arrested and condemned to death! He always says he's terrified that one day he'll get asked to identify my body. He would have been like a mother hippogriff if he knew how close I'd been to dying."

"You said he didn't approve of your career," Tina said, looking suddenly uncertain, her face pale. "And Mr Graves said he remembered Theseus ranting about you and calling you an idiot during the war."

"I said he didn't approve of me travelling alone so much," Newt corrected her, aghast that they had leapt to these conclusions. Wasn't it plain for anyone to see that Theseus was a good-humoured, kind and honourable man? "Because he had no way of knowing I was safe. He's always supported my career! Without him, I wouldn't even have one. It's only because of Theseus that I got the job in the Ministry in the first place: when he came back from the war they were falling over themselves to make him the face of the auror department and he used that to his advantage to get me a job in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. As for the war…well, um, he wasn't best pleased that I joined up with the dragon corps. I'd only just turned seventeen, and I hadn't actually told our mum that I'd signed up…I just ran off. He sent me about seventeen howlers after that. But Mr Graves…you _knew_ him during the war. He called you a friend…surely you knew he wasn't like that?"

"I thought fame had changed him," Graves confessed, looking shamefaced. "I thought all the times he joked about you turning into a celebrity and being on lady's magazine covers, he was sneering at you."

"He was joking! That's what we do! I make jokes at him too, you know!" cried Newt, growing tearful again. "I _laughed_! You had to know he wasn't being unkind!"

"I'm so sorry, Newt!" said Tina, looking utterly ashamed, a tear sliding down her cheek. "We thought he was picking on you. That's why we tried to make sure you were never alone with him much, that's why I gave him the wrong directions to Dimaggios…"

" _You did that on purpose_?" Newt exclaimed, outraged. "I told him it must have been an accident! Queenie, read my mind!"

"Are you sure, honey," Queenie said softly. "You made me promise that I wouldn't…"

"Do it!" Newt ordered fiercely.

Queenie stared hard at him, her eyes gradually taking on a faraway look. Images began to flash through Newt's mind.

 _There he was, six years old, chasing happily after Theseus as they darted around the gardens of their parents' house. He could hear their father's voice, calling out to them not to wander too far. They came to the small stream which was between them and their mother's hippogriff paddock. They would have to jump it, but Newt was frightened he'd fall in._

" _It's all right, Newt," Theseus promised with a smile, taking his hand. "I won't let you fall!"_

 _~8~_

 _He was eleven and boarding the Hogwarts Express with his brother close behind him._

" _Do you think I'll be in Gryffindor like you, Thee?" he wondered, eyeing Theseus's red and gold scarf._

" _I think it doesn't matter where you're sorted Newt, any house will be lucky to have you!" said Theseus kindly._

 _Sure enough, later that day when the Sorting Hat yelled 'HUFFLEPUFF', a beaming Theseus sent Newt a proud thumbs up from the neighbouring table._

~8~

" _Your brother's getting detention!" whispered Carter, as Newt sat down next to him in Herbology. "They said he got caned by Prendergast too."_

" _What? Why?" Newt asked. Theseus never got in trouble; he was a prefect!_

" _He found out Avery was the one who locked you in the Quidditch cupboard," Carter said. "He broke Avery's nose!"_

~8~

" _Come on," Theseus said briskly, ferreting Newt out from the library later that day. He was walking stiffly; evidently Carter wasn't lying about the caning._

" _Where are we going?" Newt asked curiously, when they passed through the entrance hall and set off down towards the quidditch pitch._

" _That little shit Avery isn't getting near you again," said Theseus, a determined set to his jaw. "I'm going to teach you how to duel!"_

~8~

" _What am I going to do, Thee?" Newt sobbed despairingly. He'd been expelled – he would never be able to sit his OWLS, and his future was in tatters. It had only been six months since their father died, he couldn't bear the thought of causing his mother any more heartache._

" _You're going to be fine!" Theseus vowed fiercely, tugging him into a hug. "I promise. I'll make sure of it. We'll figure this out, little brother. Don't worry."_

~8~

" _You're really going to France then?" Newt asked, watching as Theseus buttoned up the khaki green tunic and donned the flat-brimmed cap. He and most of his closest friends from Hogwarts had resolved that they could not let the vast slaughter of muggles on the continent go unchallenged. They were defying the Ministry and going off to join the war, disguising themselves as muggles._

" _Yes," Theseus said gravely, turning away from the mirror to hold Newt's gaze. "I can't sit here when so many people are dying. Not when we could help them. Muggles don't count for less than we do. Newt, if I don't come back…"_

" _Don't say that!" Newt snapped, hugging his brother tight enough to bruise his ribs. "Of course you'll come back!"_

" _Listen, don't do anything dangerous while I'm gone, all right?" Theseus pleaded with a watery laugh. "No nundu, no wyverns, no dragons! Nothing more dangerous than an owl!"_

" _I'll try," Newt promised, wishing he could hold on to his brother for ever and stop him from walking out the door._

 _~8~_

 _They're back from the war, recovering from the trauma step by step and suddenly high on the joy of living again. Theseus has managed to secure Newt a job in the Ministry and they declare it a cause for celebration._

 _Sat on Theseus's living room floor, they pass a bottle of Ogden's firewhisky back and forth, making the most ridiculous puns in the history of the world and laughing until the tears come. Everything feels bright and hopeful and safe._

 _~8~_

 _Theseus is waving Newt off on his journey to find content for the book he's been commissioned to write. He's given Newt a hundred pieces of advice on how to stay safe, how to avoid getting into any more danger, and asked him to write whenever he can._

" _Keep out of trouble, all right?" he says, ruffling Newt's hair and grinning when his brother grumbles. "If I hear you've been putting yourself in needless danger, I'll travel over to kick your arse!"_

" _And you'd better take care in Europe and not take any needless risks!" Newt returns seriously. "Otherwise I'll come home and kick yours!"_

" _Bye, Newt," Theseus hugs him tightly. "Take care."_

In the foyer of Sayre's, Queenie pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry!" she said tremulously, before looking across to Graves and Tina. "We've got everything so, so wrong!"

* * *

It was in the early hours of Monday morning when the dark-haired male healer reappeared. He introduced himself as Healer McCoy and offered to show them through to the room he had installed Theseus in.

A small, vengeful part of Newt almost asked that his companions not be allowed in, but he swallowed the words before he could spit them out. He was angry, so angry, and hurt on Theseus's behalf, but the more logical part of his brain acknowledged that they'd attacked Theseus over some ghastly misunderstanding, not out of sheer malice.

They were duly shown into a sterile, white room that seemed almost offensively bright. In the middle of the room was the bed Theseus lay upon it, still pale and unconscious.

"How is he?" Newt asked nervously, fighting the sudden urge to cry again. How was it possible he had any tears left?

Healer McCoy waved his wand over Theseus's head and suddenly a golden image of a skull and brain appeared above Newt's brother, hovering glisteningly in the air. "Your brother sustained quite a serious fracture of the skull, here," he explained calmly, pointing to the part of the skull he was referring to. "Which we've started mending already – the bone should be repaired by tomorrow. There was a bit of bleeding on the brain here…and here…which took us a bit longer to deal with."

"So…what does that mean?" Newt pressed anxiously. "Is he going to be all right? Why hasn't he woken up?"

"Head wounds are damn difficult things!" said Healer McCoy frankly. "There's no telling which way they'll go; trying to anticipate them is like riding a broom and juggling at the same time. On parchment, your brother should be fine. We got to the bleeding before any major damage could be done. But he'll wake up in his own time, then we can assess for any further damage."

Newt felt wobbly with a mix of relief and dread. He wanted to take up residence at Theseus's bedside, but McCoy gently explained that visiting hours were between ten and two and then between four and eight. He'd be allowed to come back then. In the meantime, he suggested Newt take something for the shock he'd received, and then went to get some sleep.

Only the realisation that he'd left his case in his flat, along with Pickett in his coat pocket and Theseus's wand lying discarded on the floor stopped Newt from arguing with the healer. He couldn't let his creatures go hungry in the morning!

"You want us to come with you, Newt?" Queenie asked hesitantly, as they left Theseus's room.

"No thank you," Newt said wearily. "I think I'd like to be alone for a while. I'll see you at MACUSA in the morning – I'll need to get something sent to my mother to let her know what's happened."

With no more to be said, Newt apparated back to his apartment. He hurriedly _scourgified_ Theseus's blood from the floor and the wall, the very sight of it making him sick, and fished Pickett out of his coat pocket. The bowtruckle immediately scrambled up onto his shoulder, making little comforting squeaks and nuzzling Newt's face.

Collapsing on his bed, Newt tried to sleep.

* * *

Morning – or at least later that same morning – seemed to take both an eternity to arrive and also no time at all. Newt, having managed no sleep at all, got some comfort from the presence of his creatures when he went to feed them. They crowded round him affectionately; evidently sensing his distress and wanting to do their best to mitigate it. How Newt adored them all! He couldn't stay there forever though – he would have to face the others eventually. He washed and dressed carelessly, then packed up his case (carefully securing Theseus's wand as he did so) and apparated to MACUSA.

Out of habit, he made for Percival Graves' office and stopped in the doorway when he realised that Madam Picquery was there, addressing Graves, Tina and Queenie who were all looking pale and alarmed.

"I have already had the British Ministry express its doubts over our competence this week," Picquery was saying calmly, her tone utterly frigid. "Auror Scamander had _plenty_ to say about the fact that the extra-judicial murder of his brother was almost allowed to happen right under my nose. Last night I had to contact Minister Fawley to tell him that same auror was hospitalised because he had been attacked _without provocation_ by two of my own aurors and a member of my secretarial staff. I do not like to be made to look careless."

"With respect, Madam President, we…" Tina began, bravely.

"Silence, Goldstein!" Picquery snapped. "You had better hope he recovers fully and that Hector Fawley does not choose to pursue this further. Otherwise, I will be expected to make an example of the culprits. I assure you that I will do so without hesitation. Keep me updated on Scamander's progress. Good morning." With that, she swept regally out of the room, only giving Newt a nod as she passed.

"Um…good morning," Newt said awkwardly, recovered enough from his initial anger to realise that, while he certainly hadn't forgiven them yet, he did not want his friends to lose their jobs and suffer any more than they had to.

"Newt!" Tina seemed not to know whether to smile at him or not, or whether to go over to him or not. She sort of swayed in place, offering him a terse little wave. "How are you…"

"Ma'am! Sir! You can't go up there! That's Mr Graves' office!" The outraged voice of Abernethy put a halt to any further conversation and drew all their eyes towards the door.

"Get out of my way!" growled a fierce English accent, one that Newt recognised at once.

Newt, Tina, Queenie and Graves hurried out of his office into the corridor to find Abernethy doing his best to halt the progress of a man and a woman, both somewhere in the region of their late twenties to early thirties. They both looked incandescent with rage and were not paying him the slightest bit of attention. Newt recognised them at once: Phryne Fawley and Stephen Travers; his brother's closest friends.

He'd known them first when he was a schoolboy; they'd all been in the seventh year when Newt was in the fourth. How the younger students had envied that year group – they seemed to be a golden year. The four houses all intermingled on the friendliest of terms, their only rivalries on the quidditch pitch, and they all seemed destined for amazing things.

Phryne and Castor Fawley, twins, seemed to personify that sentiment. Good-looking, wealthy and popular, their father a rising star in the ministry, the two Ravenclaws had been appointed Head Boy and Girl and were Theseus's constant companions. Also permanently at their sides was Steven Travers, the burly Slytherin quidditch captain who seemed to wear a permanent smile and could make absolutely anyone laugh.

When they left Hogwarts, the boys had all become aurors and it had been expected (primarily by her family) that Phryne would find a nice genteel job and promptly marry and settle down. Instead, she had turned her nose up at convention and gone off to Egypt as Gringott's first female curse-breaker. When the war came, they'd been at Theseus's side when he went off to France, Phryne flatly refusing to be left behind. She'd chopped off her hair and, with the aid of a couple of glamour spells, passed herself off as Castor's brother instead of his sister.

Ten of them had gone away in total, all from that golden year at Hogwarts. Only Phryne, Steve and Theseus had come back. The others were lost, one by one, with Castor Fawley blowing himself up to save his friends and a vast number of muggles in the last year of the war.

Newt stared, surprised to see them, noting that they hadn't changed much since he'd last encountered them.

Phryne was slim and petite, and was dressed expensively in a wine coloured cloche hat and a similarly-coloured coat with a thick fur collar. Her shiny black hair was cut in a bob and she looked like what the muggles liked to call 'a flapper'; a pretty, expensively dressed flighty girl. Belying that impression though was the expression on her face, which was more reminiscent of an angry mother dragon.

Steven towered over Phryne by a whole head. Handsome and powerfully built, he was wearing a dark muggle suit that hugged his large muscles. Like Phryne, he was glowering angrily, though their expressions lightened a little when Newt hurried forward to greet them.

"Steve, Phryne," he spluttered. "It's good to see you. How did you get here?"

"We got a Transatlantic Portkey the minute we heard what had happened to Theseus," Steven answered, shaking Newt's hand.

"A Portkey…but they take days to be authorised?" Newt countered in confusion. "Madam Picquery's message could only have arrived a few hours ago."

"Quite," said Phryne drily. "So we took the unauthorised variety. We took a detour via Dublin – it will take them a couple of days to trace us."

"Phryne, your father!" Newt cried in alarm. Hector Fawley was the Minister for Magic and unlikely to approve such flagrant law breaking in his own daughter – their relationship was fraught enough as it was!

"Yes, well, what my father doesn't know won't hurt him," said Phryne with a careless shrug before her expression grew dark again. "Now Newt, darling, it's lovely to see you, but two things if you please. Firstly, where is Thee, and how is he? Secondly, kindly point me in the direction of the Yanks I need to hex!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Guys, I can't thank you enough for clicking 'favourite', 'follow' or for leaving lovely reviews. Today's update is a little shorter as I've been busy celebrating turning 30 all weekend, but still wanted to get something up.**

* * *

A terse, anxious silence followed Phryne's words. Queenie was eyeing her with alarm and Newt wasn't sure if he really wanted to know exactly what his brother's friend was thinking. If her expression was anything to go by, it involved highly unpleasant consequences for those who'd been involved in harming him! Meanwhile, the commotion had started to draw a crowd; several other MACUSA aurors had emerged from their offices along the corridor and were watching the exchange curiously.

"Theseus is in hospital," Newt answered quickly, to end the uncomfortable silence if nothing else. "It's not far from here – I'll be going there very soon, actually; once visiting hours open. They said his skull was badly fractured…"

"His skull?!" Steven growled. "Newt, what the hell happened? All the Ministry was told was that he'd been attacked without provocation and seriously injured."

"He was planning on heading back to England to see you two. He and I were having a duel before he left – he was distracted," rambled Newt, distress still clear in his voice. "And then he took three stunning spells to the chest and it sent him flying right back into the wall head-first. He was bleeding terribly, the healers said some of it got to his brain, but they thought they were able to reach it in time."

If the two English visitors had looked furious before, they were utterly wild now.

"Attacking someone who's done you no harm, who's been your _ally_ for years," sneered Steven to the corridor at large. "Is that what the MACUSA auror department amounts to these days?"

"As though any of them would have the balls to face Theseus Scamander in a fair fight!" spat Phryne contemptuously. "Home of the brave? So much for that!"

"Hey, you wanna make something of it, English?" bristled one of the Americans who Newt did not know well; a brawny fellow with a thick Brooklyn accent, clearly taking umbrage with their hostile scorn.

"Oh we very much do!" Steven promised menacingly, knuckles whitening as the grip on his wand tightened.

"Indeed," Phryne said, with the predatory air of an occamy who'd just spotted a rather plump bluebottle. "In fact, as soon as we've seen Theseus, you can form a line. We'll eviscerate you in any order you choose!"

"Pretty big talk there, Queen Victoria!" The same man scoffed, not looking at all intimidated by what he evidently took to merely be a glamorous young witch in fashionable clothes. Newt rather pitied him – he'd seen people underestimate Phryne like that before; it never ended well.

Phryne merely smiled icily and took a step closer to the man, her heeled shoes clacking on the corridor floor. "I'd go through a dozen of you without even smearing my lipstick," she told him quietly, her voice ringing with intent.

"All right, everyone, that's enough!" Graves ordered sharply, trying to re-establish some control before the corridor could descend into open American-English warfare. "Travers, Fawley, we're the ones who attacked your friend. We misinterpreted…"

" _You_ did?" Steve cut him off furiously, glaring daggers at Graves and also at Tina and Queenie, who the head auror had indicated when he spoke. The tip of his wand sparked threateningly. "What the hell, Graves? You _know_ him! Merlin, we all pretty much lived on top of each other for a year. You're supposed to be his friend!"

"There was something of a misunderstanding…" Graves began, looking as though he were at the end of his patience. He gestured abruptly for his staff to return to their offices, but none of them made any immediate move to obey.

"It was our fault!" Tina blurted out suddenly, looking anxiously over at Newt, who was still standing in the middle. "We got everything totally wrong. We wanted to protect Newt and…"

"Protect Newt?" Phryne repeated, visibly confused as to how brutally assaulting his much-loved elder brother could in any way help the magizoologist.

"They thought he was bullying me!" responded Newt quietly. He was conscious that the entire corridor was listening and did not particularly enjoy having an audience when he felt so conflicted. "I didn't realise it. I said something about expecting a fearsome ticking off for some of the things that happened when I first came over here, and they took it to mean that Theseus was an arrogant bully who made my life generally unpleasant."

"Theseus? Bullying _you_?" scoffed Steven. "Bloody hell, does the M in MACUSA stand for 'morons'?"

This was more than the American aurors could stand and some of them drew out their wands and began to square up to Phryne and Steven, who likewise adopted duelling stances.

"You know, actually, we'll be able to get in to see Theseus now," Newt said a little desperately, making a show of looking at his watch; eager to diffuse the rapidly escalating animosity. Though he still had not quite forgiven Tina and Queenie for what they'd done to his brother, he did not like to see them looking so pale and alarmed. And he certainly didn't want either of them getting drawn into fights with Steven or Phryne who were both incredibly skilled duellists and evidently recklessly furious at the moment!

It was the right thing to say; in fact it was the only sentence that could have persuaded his brother's friends to back down from the vengeance they were both so keen on wreaking.

"Of course," said Phryne, stowing her wand at once and not sparing the Americans another glance. "Shall we go then?"

"I can side-along you, if you'll both grab hold of me," Newt offered, turning around to nod to Tina, Queenie and Graves as Phryne took his right arm. "I'll let you know how he is."

"We'll be back," said Steven darkly, laying a hand on Newt's left arm. "And if any of you have guts enough for a fair fight, we'll be very happy to oblige you."

Then, with a rush of air, the three of them disappeared.

* * *

Seconds later, the trio reappeared in the foyer of Sayer's hospital. Newt quickly confirmed with the smiling witch at reception that Theseus was still in the room he had been taken to in the earlier hours and led the way along the cream-coloured corridor which smelled faintly of lavender and Pepper-Up Potion.

No longer around the people who had so grievously injured their best friend, he was glad to see Phryne and Steven seemed to calm down a little; the antagonism vanishing from their faces. Not that he was personally afraid of them, of course: he had known them for since he was little more than a child, and they had never been anything but kind to Theseus's eccentric little brother.

"Congratulations on your book, by the way, Newt," Steven patted him on the shoulder as they walked. "It's made quite the splash at the Ministry – stimulated some very high-level discussions about the classification system."

"Yes – and Flourish and Blotts were completely sold out when I was there yesterday," Phryne said warmly. "You've become quite the sensation!"

"That's partly why I came back to New York, if I'm honest," Newt confessed in embarrassment. "It was all getting a little bit unbearable. I don't know how Theseus stood it when he came back from the war; it was suffocating! I'd much preferred it when they thought I was a nobody. Ah, here we are – this is his room."

Inside, Theseus was just as he had left him in the early hours; lying still and unresponsive in the bed. His clothes had been replaced by pyjamas of a rather alarming shade of purple, which served only to make his face look all the paler. Newt felt a lump creep into his throat again. Theseus was the life and soul of every room he entered, and it felt unnatural to see his cheerful, charismatic brother lying there looking so lifeless. Upon reflection, he felt that he was starting to understand why Theseus got so miffed when Newt threw himself into danger.

The sight of the unconscious Theseus had very contrasting effects upon his friends. Steven grew visibly furious again, the colour rising in his face as he cursed the MACUSA auror department with a rather impressive string of expletives. Indeed, Newt hadn't been aware that _quite_ that many swear words existed!

Next to him, the fight seemed to go utterly out of Phryne and, white-faced and shaken, she sunk into one of the chairs by the bed. She seemed somehow smaller than she had ten minutes ago, when she had been challenging an entire corridor of aurors to duels. When she withdrew the hatpin to remove her wine-coloured cloche, Newt spotted that her hands were trembling a little.

"Thee," Newt prompted hopefully, patting his brother's arm gently, as though he had merely dozed off. "You've got some visitors. Steve and Phryne are here. You know, they technically broke the law to come and see you – which is mildly ridiculous considering what you all do for a living - aren't you going to open your eyes for them?"

"We've brought you all the gossip from the office, old thing!" Steven said with forced jocularity. "You're not going to snooze through all the scandalous goings-on from the DMLE are you?"

It was to no avail though; Theseus remained as still and unmoving as a statue, only the gentle rise and fall of his chest letting them know that he was in fact still alive.

Phryne seemed to be steeling herself to say something, but just as she opened her mouth, a healer stepped into the room. Newt recognised the slim African American lady who had spoken to him so kindly when Theseus had been brought in. She introduced herself fully now as Healer Williams. At her inquiring glance, Newt accounted for Phryne and Steven's presence by explaining that these were his brother's close friends.

Healer Williams ran her wand over and around Theseus's head with experienced, gentle movements. As she did so, the same glowing golden representation of Theseus's skull and brain appeared a few feet above him. "Everything is looking very positive so far, Mr Scamander," she told Newt; voice mellow and calm. "The fracture in your brother's skull has mended nicely, as you can see, and there have been no further signs of bleeding on his brain."

"That's very good," Newt said, voice thick with relief. "But if that's the case, shouldn't he have woken up again by now?"

"Well, that's a little harder to predict," responded Williams. "There is no set structure or pattern with head wounds – all of our brains are individual and so therefore is the way they react to injury. We certainly hope that your brother will regain consciousness very soon, there's nothing to indicate that he shouldn't. Once he does so, we will be able to ascertain if there has been any non-visual damage caused."

"Damage?" asked Phryne anxiously, twisting her fingers in her lap. "What sort of damage do you mean?"

"Well, of course, we hope there won't be any to speak of," Williams assured them gently. "However, head injuries can manifest themselves in the strangest of ways: vision damage, hearing damage, memory loss amongst others. Your brother will be subject to a few tests to see if he has sustained any of this sort of injury and whether further treatment will be required. Now, Mr Scamander, if I could ask you to come with me for a second, I'll need you to sign a few forms as his next of kin – as he's an employee of another country's Ministry, they'll need to be passed to MACUSA as part of the report."

"Of course," said Newt, a little numbly, trying to process what she had just said; that Theseus might wake up and not be _Theseus_. "Yes, I can do that right away."

* * *

Newt left the room on Williams' heel, leaving Phryne and Steve sitting in strained, anxious silence, staring at their unconscious friend. Despite their all having come through four years of war and despite Theseus and Steven's ongoing careers as aurors, none of the trio had ever been really seriously injured before. They both found it jarring and disconcerting that Theseus had been put out of action like this now; especially over such a monstrous misjudgement of his character.

"I'm going to annihilate those idiots," vowed Steven darkly, twirling his wand between powerful fingers as he paced up and down the room.

"Take whichever ones you want," Phryne replied in a similar tone, still in the seat where she had collapsed, staring at Theseus's motionless form. "But leave me Graves, Steve! I'm going to make him pay and I'm going to do it publically. I mean, the bloody nerve of him! He'd have been killed in that trench raid in France if not for you and Theseus and this is how he repays him?"

"Don't worry, darling, you can have him, I'll take the mouthy fellow from earlier," Steven patted her back lightly as he paced past her. "I just…I don't understand how they can possibly have got things so utterly wrong. I mean, if Thee is with Newt for five minutes he turns into a giant mother hen – even a blind troll could see that!"

"Maybe MACUSA should start recruiting blind trolls then," Phryne muttered vindictively. "Perhaps it would be an improvement on the current department."

They sank once more into silence for a while, the room filled only with the sound of Steven's agitated footsteps and Theseus's gentle, measured breaths.

"I hope your father throws the book at Piquery!" Steve broke the quiet eventually, pausing to stare out of the room's small window. "He could take it to the International Confederation."

"There's a good chance," Phryne nodded, her face suddenly blank – as it was every time she mentioned her estranged father. "He likes Theseus; only a fool wouldn't. Of course, it won't take them long to work out where we've disappeared to either."

"Well if they work it out, then they work it out. We'll stay here in New York until Theseus is better, no matter how long it is until he comes round," Steven said decidedly. "I'll go and find us somewhere to stay. A muggle hotel is probably best for now, eh? Less questions asked. Any preferences?"

"Anywhere will do," Phryne said distractedly, her eyes yet to leave Theseus's face. She was rigid with tension; sat in her chair like a sphinx. She knew what Steven was doing, suddenly opting to go and search for accommodation right at that moment – and she was well aware that he knew that she knew. "I don't care what sort of place it is – as long as it's near enough to here."

"Leave it to me then," said Steven kindly, squeezing her shoulder. "You stay here. Don't fret too much – the healer said everything is looking well and Thee is the most stubborn bugger I know. Well, besides you of course. He's going to be fine, Phryne, you'll see. I'll be back very soon." He pressed a fraternal kiss to the crown of Phryne's head and disappeared soundlessly from the room.

Phryne, left alone and feeling as though something in her chest had fractured, let out a strangled sob the minute the door closed.

* * *

Consequently, when Newt returned, he found only Phryne in the room. She was perched on the edge of Theseus's bed and was holding his hand in one of hers, her other brushing his hair gently from his forehead and then sliding down to cup his cheek. It was an infinitely tender gesture and left Newt with the impression that he had stumbled upon a very private and intimate moment.

He cleared his throat softly to let her know he was there, not wishing to startle her. Her head spun around sharply, and Newt was gallant enough not to mention the over-brightness of her eyes. She composed herself quickly though and moved back to the place she'd occupied before; the chair by the bed. It was with apparent extreme reluctance that she released Theseus's hand.

"Steve's gone to find us somewhere to stay while we're here," she said, in a voice that was trying far too hard to be considered genuinely calm. "He shouldn't be long."

"I hope he doesn't bump into any of the MACUSA aurors while he's out," Newt tried to joke, managing half a smile. "I'd rather he wasn't arrested for murder! It would make things awfully complicated."

Phryne gave a tight attempt at a smile in return, but her mouth kept going the wrong shape. "I suppose we were rather undiplomatically hostile," she conceded. "But it's just so _ridiculous_. He got through the hell of the war…he's just come through four months of undercover work among some of the most dangerous maniacs on the planet…and this, _this_ happens because a couple of idiot Yanks got zap happy with their wands. I mean, how in the name of Merlin and all his knightly chums did they come to the conclusion he was a bad brother?"

Newt recounted the story as best as he could, based on his own memories and what Tina and Queenie had confessed the night before. Phryne looked incandescent by the time he was done and Newt was once again reminded of a very small, very angry dragon.

"Idiots. Utter imbeciles!" she ground out, going back to sit on the bed again, evidently unable to keep away. "Merlin, anyone who knows him also knows that he'd rather lop his own arm off before he'd harm a hair on your head."

"I know. This is my fault, really," said Newt miserably, coming to sit on the bed at the opposite side and taking Theseus's other hand. "If I'd realised…if I hadn't been so carried away with being excited about having _friends_ for once, I might have spotted…I could have corrected them. I mean, I thought it was obvious that he was the best brother I could ever have asked for. And now…and now the healers say there's a chance he might not be himself when he wakes up…that his memory might be altered. He might not even know us when he wakes up! And I don't know what I'd do without my brother..." He suddenly spotted the anguished look on Phryne's face, did a mortified double take and clapped his hand across his mouth. "Oh Parcelsus! Oh, Phryne, I'm so sorry! That was incredibly insensitive of me! I am so, so…"

"Don't be," Phryne said gently, leaning over to lay a reassuring hand on his arm. "Who better understands what you're feeling than me?" Her expression was tormented though and Newt's conscience smote him for having spoken so carelessly. Theseus, no matter the outcome, was at least still there. Phryne's twin had not been so fortunate. He suddenly didn't know what to say.

"You know it's been almost ten years," said Phryne bleakly, solving the problem for him. She took Theseus's hand again and held it against her torso. "Nearly a whole decade since I watched Castor apparate away from me and blow himself up to save us all. Sometimes I still think he's going to come bouncing in through the door with a stupid smile and tell me it was all some bloody big joke! But the reality is that I got left behind, only halfway whole. I've had all these birthdays that he should have shared, and – if I survive the next war we'll wind up having if Grindelwald and his ilk get their way – I'll grow old and grey, while Castor will be twenty-four forever. Fate, or Destiny, or whatever you want to call it, has taken too much from me. It took my mother, it took all the friends we went to France with, and it took my twin. It's not getting Theseus, Newt. I won't let it!"

"Good – I won't let it either. You know, the healer said it might help to talk to him," Newt said softly, handing her a handkerchief; which she used to wipe away a couple of rogue tears which had escaped her efforts to blink them back. "She said that, even though he's unconscious, it might actually help him to hear familiar voices and encourage him to wake up."

"Well then, what shall we talk about then?" Phryne asked shakily, pulling herself together by sheer force of will.

"I've always wondered," Newt said, lifting Pickett out onto his hand as the bowtruckle popped his head out of his pocket. The little creature promptly settled down next to Theseus's hand, evidently keen to offer some comfort. "What exactly _did_ happen to end that prank war when you lot were in the seventh year? There were rumours all over the place of course, each more outrageous than the last, but all we younger kids knew was that the entire seventh year was put in detention for a month."

"Ah," Phryne said, a nostalgic look in her eyes, managing a more genuine smile. "Now that is quite a tale!"

For a short time, that golden Hogwarts year – the one Newt had envied so badly – seemed to live again as Phryne related the story of an escalating inter-house battle of pranks and childish enjoyment that had livened their last summer as students before they'd been decimated by war. Steven joined them once again soon afterwards and the three of them stayed until two o'clock, when the first visitor's session was over.

"They gave me some papers to take to MACUSA," Newt said, as they were shooed out of the room by the healers. "If we drop past there quickly, do you think you could possibly not attack anyone? It's just that, you know, Tina and Queenie are my friends, and it's not that I'm not very angry with them, but…"

"We'll try not to destroy anyone today then," Steven said, which Newt didn't think was wholly reassuring. "But make no mistake – we're not letting them off the hook!"

However, while the trio of Brits had been visiting Theseus, someone at MACUSA had put two and two together: "Wait. Fawley and Travers…as in _Hector_ _Fawley_ and _Torquil Travers_?"

Upon finding out that the antagonistic English visitors were in fact the daughter of the Minister for Magic and nephew of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement respectively, the number of those keen to take them on in a duel had dramatically subsided. Despite Steven and Phryne being deliberately and outrageously disrespectful, no one retaliated.

Satisfied that he could leave them in the main atrium without war breaking out, Newt paid a very quick visit to Tina's office to let her know that Theseus was yet to come around and received several more tearful apologies. Madam Picquery's rage of the morning had her terrified for her job and she did not want to leave her office for fear of running into Phryne or Steven and contributing to a further international incident.

Newt felt rather like a referee in a very angry quidditch game, trying to keep the players from injuring each other. As much as he wanted to comfort Tina and promise her that he would try to talk his brother's friends into persuading their high-placed relatives not to pursue the incident further, he found that he couldn't focus on anything but his brother. Not till Theseus was awake again, could he work on mending his friendships in New York.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. Weirdly, although this is the part of the story I've had in my head since writing _Cosima Scamander and the Chamber of Secrets_ , it's been the hardest bit to write so far.**

* * *

Theseus Scamander, much to the dismay of his brother and friends – not to mention the several extremely anxious MACUSA aurors who were now dreading repercussions from the British Ministry – remained unconscious for two more full days. The healers did not seem duly alarmed though; they continued to reassure that Theseus had recovered well from the physical injury and would come around in his own good time.

For those two days, Newt, Steven and Phryne were a constant presence at Sayer's hospital and only left Theseus's small room when the medical staff compelled them to. When visiting hours finally came to an end, Newt would return to his small apartment to spend time with his creatures and Steven and Phryne would retreat to the Ritz hotel, where Steven had taken two rooms for them. Newt had previously heard Jacob say the place was fearfully expensive, but both his brother's friends came from exceedingly wealthy families and so could easily afford the high prices.

Otherwise, they sat endlessly by Theseus's bed, talking to him, reminiscing, cajoling him to wake up and trying not to let the strain they were all under show. Despite his exhaustion and anxiety, Newt found he rather enjoyed hearing the stories of their early years at Hogwarts, when he himself had still been at home with his parents. It was the only time in his life he and Theseus had been removed from each other's company for such an extended period. Theseus had written of course – his brother was a regular correspondent; Newt knew that he was the less reliable of the two in that regard – but letters were never quite the same as actually being there to partake in all the excitement. There were always so many details that were inevitably left out; midnight feasts, classroom pranks, parties after quidditch matches and youthful explorations of the vast grounds.

In turn, he shared stories with Steven and Phryne about his and Theseus's childhood and some of their more recent adventures. It felt suddenly comforting to share stories about him with people who appreciated his brother as he ought to be appreciated; especially after Newt's American friends had misjudged him so terribly.

On that note, he had not been back to MACUSA at all those two days. He felt badly about it – the suspect in the Thunderbird trafficking case still needed to be questioned, and he knew Mr Graves wanted him to be present given that he had been involved in bringing the wizard in. Not to mention that he hadn't properly spoken to Tina, Queenie or Graves himself at all in that time either. After seeing them pretty much every day for weeks, Newt had been made very sharply aware of just how much the sight of Tina each day had been contributing to his happiness. Now, cross with her though he absolutely was, he realised that he very much did not like being out of contact. She really did have the most marvellous eyes…

What would happen when he had to return to England again - because he knew he would have to go back there eventually. How could he bear not seeing her every day?

He _couldn't_ ; the realisation came to him as sharply as a thunderclap. He couldn't bear it. He didn't _want_ to go another day without seeing her. He wanted her to be with him always, to be Newt-and-Tina instead of just plain Newt. Merlin's beard, he thought, as he left the still-unresponsive Theseus behind after the second day. It really was the most absurdly inconvenient timing to realise one was head over heels in love!

His romantic epiphany brought with it a night completely without sleep. He tossed and turned back and forth into the early hours of the morning, lying first on his right side, then his left, then on his back. He counted to a hundred, then backwards from one hundred to one. It was no use though; sleep danced tantalisingly out of his reach like a particularly mischievous Cornish Pixie and all that he could do was to lie there, alternately worrying about his brother and thinking about Tina.

Should he tell Tina that he loved her?

Suppose Tina only thought him a friend though? What if he scared her off and then she didn't want anything to do with him at all after that? He wasn't good with people, he knew that; creatures were much easier to read. He _thought_ she seemed to like him too, but what if he was wrong? This was the sort of thing he would normally go to Theseus for advice for – but Tina had helped to put Theseus in hospital!

That, of course, was the other half of the problem. Supposing, by some miracle, that Tina did indeed feel the same way about Newt, how on earth was he to explain this to his family? _Oh hello, Mother. Yes, this is the woman who thought Theseus was a complete bastard and helped knock him out so savagely that they fractured his skull._ _She'll be staying to dinner_. How could he expect _Theseus_ to like her after how she'd treated him? What if Theseus decided Newt was betraying him by having feelings for a woman who had misjudged and assaulted him, and then finally ran out of patience with his brother and walked away?

Newt buried his face in his pillow with a frustrated moan; startling poor Pickett who had been snuggled up there and who scrambled away with an indignant peep. This was why he generally preferred to surround himself with creatures… human beings were so tremendously, horribly complicated!

By the time dawn finally crept around to bathe his small garret in lemon-coloured, chilly light, Newt felt as though he had the brain of a troll. Sleep deprived and overly-stressed as he was, everything seemed to be fuzzy and his thought processes felt irritatingly slow. He went to feed all the occupants of his suitcase, who - though of course they had still been cared for affectionately over the past few days - were feeling a little jealous of his attention and so made the process much longer than normal. After that, he only had time for a hasty wash and change of clothes before apparating back to Sayer's, desperately hoping for some good news.

For the first time in a week, fate was kind to him. He arrived in his brother's room to be greeted with the welcome sight of a slightly groggy-looking Theseus sitting up in bed, wholly awake. He looked perhaps a little pale, and badly in need of a shave, but otherwise none the worse for his injury.

"What ho!" Theseus greeted him with a wan smile; his throat sounding dry and croaky. "Could you…"

Newt flew to his side at once, his heart beating wildly. "Do you know your name? How old you are?" he demanded worriedly, dreading the thought of Theseus's memory, or any other faculties being altered. "Do you know who I am?"

"I'm Theseus Scamander," came the amused reply. "I'm thirty two, and you are my complete pest of a little brother Newton Artemis _Fido_ Scamander!"

Newt could have wept with relief. Instead he settled for half-strangling his brother in an eye-wateringly tight hug. "Oh, thank Merlin!" he breathed. "I was so worried that you might not have been yourself!"

"I won't be if you throttle me! You couldn't pass me some of that water, could you?" Theseus croaked out and Newt released him apologetically. Theseus looked a little bemused as he accepted the cup of water. "Newt, what happened exactly? I remember we were duelling and then…the next thing I know, I'm waking up here. The healers couldn't tell me anything."

"That was three days ago," Newt began.

"Three days?!" Theseus cried, aghast. "I've been out that long?"

"Theseus, I…I thought you were dead at first!" Newt stammered out tremulously. "You weren't moving and I thought they'd broken your neck! Then they said you might not recover properly, that your memory might be altered, or your sight, and I thought…"

"Calm down, little brother," Theseus patted his arm gently, immediately falling back into his usual role of the one who did all the comforting, despite the fact he himself was the injured party. "It's all right; my neck is still intact and the healers checked me over as soon as I woke up. They said everything seemed fine."

"Oh, thank Parcelsus!" said Newt with heartfelt fervency, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He sat down at Theseus's bedside to explain the awful misunderstanding that had occurred, when he heard the sound of two now-familiar sets of footsteps coming down the corridor. "Ah, it sounds like your other visitors are here!"

"My other visitors?" repeated Theseus, looking nonplussed. "Who else would…"

Before he could finish the sentence though, the door opened and the tall frame of Steven Travers strode into the room, followed by Phryne, who today was dressed in emerald green. At the sight of their friend awake and well, they both stood frozen for a minute before hurrying to join Newt at his bedside in relieved joy

"What on earth are you two doing here?" Theseus demanded delightedly, shaking Steven's hand and then smiling through an awkward moment where he and Phryne seemed unsure whether to hug or shake hands and instead settled on squeezing each other's hands very tightly.

"You know they technically broke the law to come and see you," Newt laughed, a little giddy from tiredness and relief.

"Yes, we've got ourselves up to the neck in trouble to pay you a visit," Steven joked, in answer to Theseus's incredulous expression. "We came as soon as the Ministry was told what had happened. Brought you plenty of gossip too, but you've been too busy playing at Sleeping Beauty to hear any of it!"

"Hold on…the Ministry was told?" Theseus began to look frustrated now. "Can someone please explain what the hell happened to me and how I ended up here?"

"It's…um…rather a long story," Newt said, his cheeks reddening miserably. "And I'm afraid it's technically my fault, Thee."

"Newt, it's not your fault that your friends are idiots!" Phryne said sharply.

"And don't worry, Phryne and I don't intend to let it go without consequences!" Steven assured Theseus.

Theseus looked decidedly unimpressed with all the vaguery. "Righto, if we're all done with the cryptic statements, I'd very much appreciate a proper explanation now, thank you!" he said flatly. "Newt, what do you mean it's your fault?"

"You know that letter you sent me before you came over, when you said I should be glad I was out of throttling distance?" Newt began. Theseus nodded impatiently. "Well, I was with Tina when I got the letter and when I read it, I said something about being in so much trouble when you got hold of me. I can't even remember what exactly it was that I said now. Regardless, I'm afraid Tina rather misinterpreted what I was saying and thought I was genuinely afraid of you coming over. She, Queenie and Graves got it into their heads that you bullied me and were coming over to make my life a misery."

"They thought I _bullied_ you?" Theseus repeated slowly, disbelief underpinning every syllable.

"Bloody ridiculous isn't it?" Steven shook his head scornfully.

"Just a little," Theseus nodded, looking thoroughly taken aback. "Although…that does rather explain things I suppose. It certainly explains why Percy was acting as though I had a case of contagious dragon pox; he couldn't get away from me quick enough. But…they saw us spending time together, didn't they?"

"Yes," said Newt unhappily. "And they got absolutely everything wrong. When you were teasing me about being on Witch Weekly, they seemed to think it was you using your War Hero status to take a snipe at me. Every joke you made, they thought you were being cruel, they didn't notice I was joking back. And those directions…Tina said she gave you the wrong directions on purpose to keep you away that evening. Thee, I swear I didn't realise! If I'd known, I promise I would have set them straight. I was so stupidly pleased at having friends for once that I was blind as a flobberworm!"

"It's all right," Theseus said at once, with an easy shrug. Newt's conscience smote him that his brother could be so free of resentment even after how he'd been treated. "It's not your fault, Newt. But I'm still not sure how I ended up here?"

"They turned up at my flat when we were duelling," Newt explained. "And given what they thought you were, they just assumed that we were genuinely fighting. All three of them stunned you at the same time and you went shooting right back across the room into the wall. There was so much blood and I thought for minute that they'd broken your neck. I just…I couldn't understand why they'd done it and I couldn't get you to wake up. I…I'm rather afraid I started howling. They said they just wanted to stop you from hurting me, and when I said you hadn't hurt me in your entire life, everything came out. We took you here at once and the healers said you had fractured your skull and had a bit of bleeding on the brain."

Theseus brought his hand up to feel the back of his head, a strange and unreadable expression on his pale face. Newt felt the same fierce protectiveness that filled him whenever he was around his creatures begin to swell in his chest. It almost physically hurt to see Theseus look so lost. "When they said you'd likely be here at least a few days, Madam Picquery had to inform the Ministry," he concluded, gesturing for Steven and Phryne to take up the story.

"Her message wasn't terribly detailed," Steven informed the Scamander brothers. "All we were told was that Theseus Scamander had been attacked without provocation by a couple of MACUSA staff and was seriously injured in hospital. So we filched ourselves a Transatlantic Portkey and got over here within a couple of hours."

"You took an _unauthorised_ portkey?!" Theseus said incredulously. "Merlin, your father and uncle will have your guts for garters!"

"I'm sure there will be plenty of shouting involved," Phryne said with an elegant shrug, speaking for the first time. Since arriving, she seemed to be striving for an air of calmness that she couldn't quite achieve. "My father likes having something to lambast me with occasionally. I'm sure it breaks the monotony of being Minister and having people rush to agree with his every word."

"In the meantime," said Newt wryly. "They've challenged half of MACUSA to duels to avenge you."

"The Yanks were all very keen initially," remarked Steven lightly, a rather mischievous light in his eyes. "But it turns out our surnames scared rather a lot of them off. Still, with the few that actually go through with it, we'll be able to make a point about what happens to idiots who attack their allies. Phryne has baggsed Graves, which should be vastly entertaining. I'm rather looking forward to it, especially now you're on the mend. Shame we can't go through the whole department and make a statement, but I suppose a fellow can't have everything!"

Theseus looked both touched and overwhelmed by his friends' loyalty and Newt's heart was warmed to see that he had people willing to defend him so fiercely. Theseus had not ever lacked for friends, but Newt had learned for himself very recently that there was a marked difference between people who only cultivated your acquaintance because you were famous, and those who stuck by you through thick and thin and liked you simply for yourself. That train of thought made him dwell on his own friendships and the need to clear the air.

"I suppose I'd better go and tell everyone at MACUSA that you're all right," he sighed as lunchtime approached. They had passed a much more pleasant morning than the previous few, talking cheerfully as the healers popped in and out to make quick observations of Theseus and ensure there were no untoward developments. "I promised that I'd let them know of any changes. When the healers come back, Theseus, ask them when you can get out. If it's today…"

"Don't worry, Newt," Phryne cut him off with a smile. "If they release him today, we'll take him back to the Ritz with us for dinner. We've a lot to catch up on after all, so there's no rush."

"All right," Newt replied, donning his coat. "Don't let him overdo anything. See you this evening, Thee."

Leaving Sayer's hospital, Newt was about to apparate to MACUSA when his stomach rumbled loudly. He'd not really eaten much since Theseus was injured, too consumed with anxiety to be worrying about food. However, now that the knot of stress that had been living in his stomach was gone, his stomach was reminding him emphatically that it was feeling rather empty.

Certain that a small delay wouldn't make much of a difference, not when he came bearing such good news, Newt opted for a detour and instead apparated to Orchard Street, close by Jacob's bakery. What with Mr Graves deciding to constantly be present during Theseus's visit – and now of course he understood why – Newt had not been able to catch up with his Muggle friend at all. It was a great pity, even more so when he'd promised to invite Jacob over for dinner.

The shop was reasonably quiet when he stepped inside, the shelves mostly empty of the morning's wares. Jacob's assistants were busy cleaning up, assiduously wiping down the glass cabinets and sweeping up golden pastry flakes and sweet-scented crumbs from the floor.

"Newt!" Jacob appeared a second later, cheerful smile firmly in place as always. "Long time no see! I was starting to think something must have happened to you!"

"It's a tremendously long story!" sighed Newt. "I'm so sorry we hadn't been back to see you, Jacob. Theseus was desperate to try some more of your pastries, but things got rather out of hand!"

"Nothing's…um… _escaped_ again, has it?" asked Jacob warily, his voice quiet as he eyed Newt's case apprehensively.

"Oh no!" Newt reassured him with a quirk of his lips. "No, all of my creatures are well and accounted for. I'm afraid this disaster was of the human variety."

"Why don't you come through the back?" offered Jacob. "I'll make us some coffee and you can tell me about it."

Newt quickly took him up on his offer, glad of a friendly ear. Phryne and Steven had been supportive and entertaining company, but there was no way he could talk to them about Tina. The minute they found out her role in Theseus's injury, they were determined to dislike her.

Settling down in the back of the shop with a pot of coffee and plate of citrusy-smelling iced buns in between them, Newt firstly explained why neither he nor the Goldstein sisters had been able to visit Jacob since Theseus's arrival. Then, as he'd done earlier that morning, he related the whole sorry tale of how everything had been misinterpreted when he'd received his brother's letter, how his friends had been treating Theseus with hostility without Newt even realising, how Theseus had been unable to understand where he'd given offence, and then finally the awful climax of the duel which had seen his brother hospitalised.

"Holy cow, that's rough!" said Jacob sympathetically. "He's ok now though, right?"

"Yes, he came round this morning," Newt said with a thankful smile. "And now I need to go and tell them at MACUSA. I've not been there these past few days – I've been avoiding the girls. But it didn't feel _right_ , you know, to do it, even though they're the ones who hurt my brother. I've missed Tina, even though I'm cross with her and it's all terribly confusing."

"Well, you know dames," Jacob said with an easy shrug, as though he believed that Newt did indeed know women. "They'll do anything to protect the fellas they love, and Tina's one fierce lady!"

Newt blinked. Then blinked again. "Sorry?"

"Tina," chuckled Jacob, taking a sip of his coffee. "She's one fierce lady."

"No, not that," Newt stammered, scarlet-faced. "The…the other part."

* * *

Towards the end of the afternoon, after a last examination by Healer McCoy, Theseus was much relieved to be proclaimed fit to be discharged. He was able to have a much-needed shower and shave, glorying in the feeling of being clean and invigorated again, and then departed the hospital sandwiched between his two oldest friends.

After a week of unbridled coldness – though he supposed he rather understood the Americans' attitudes now if they genuinely thought he was mistreating Newt – Theseus revelled in the open, easy conversation that always came naturally when he was with Steven and Phryne, who were as much a part of him as were his own arms and legs. He hadn't realised just quite how much he had missed them after so many months undercover.

They strolled down some of the city's busiest thoroughfares together, their breath misting in front of them in the crisp winter air, exchanging their stores of news after the long period apart. They stopped at a street vendor for coffee, where Theseus brought them up to speed on his mission in Austria and what he had managed to discover, while the other two had news aplenty regarding what he had missed in the Ministry while he had been gone.

New York glittered with frost and heaved with movement; muggles in sturdy coats and hats rushing by them as the working day was drawing to a close. However, the trio of visitors were in no rush and so they made a very leisurely journey to the Ritz, with Theseus pointing out of some of the landmarks he'd encountered on his explorations the week before.

The sun was beginning to set, painting long shadows across the bustling streets, when they at last arrived at the famous muggle hotel. A smartly-dressed concierge held the door open and the trio thanked him with a smile, stepping into the warm foyer which was beautifully decorated for the beginning of the festive season.

"Shall we have dinner then?" Phryne suggested. "I hope you're hungry, Thee. The restraint here is superb!"

"Ah, bugger!" Steven said sharply, coming to a stop suddenly. "I've just remembered, there's a couple of things I need to get done. And I'd better drop by MACUSA and make sure they actually let the Ministry know you're well before things get escalated beyond control. Why don't you two go ahead and have dinner and I'll catch up with you later." Grinning in response to Theseus's easy nod and pretending not to see the sharp, quizzical look Phryne sent him, Steven turned on his heel and retreated the way he had come.

"Would you prefer to go to their dining room, or should we order food and have it sent up to my room?" Phryne asked. "We've got small sitting rooms attached to the bedrooms, so there's plenty room to eat up there."

"Let's go upstairs, I think," said Theseus casually. "Then we don't have to worry about saying anything that shouldn't be overheard by muggles. You can finish filling me in on everything you and Steve have been up to while I've been in Austria."

They took the elevator up to a corridor on one of the higher floors and Phryne fished out a key from her pocket to let them into a spacious and well-decorated set of rooms. Theseus took a moment to admire the décor – the sitting room was tastefully done up in rich deep purples – and the comfortable looking furniture. The small sitting room boasted a plush, plump sofa, a couple of small armchairs and a rich mahogany-coloured table. The large, heavily curtained windows looked out onto the twinkling city lights, while a door on the far side of the room evidently led to the bedroom.

"Make yourself at home," Phryne said welcomingly, handing him a menu featuring a vast array of choices. "Have a look and see what takes your fancy."

"Honestly, I'm so hungry, I swear I could eat Newt's niffler!" Theseus joked, taking off his suit jacket and perusing the menu in his shirtsleeves. "Not that I'd tell him that of course – I don't think he'd forgive me! Hmm... the salmon looks nice, I think I'll go for that."

Phryne called their order down using the telephone – really it was so ingenious the way Muggles got around their lack of magic! – and the two of them sat down on the well-sprung sofa with a glass of Ogden's firewhisky (Steven had conjured the bottle last night, Phryne revealed, as a way around the American Muggle prohibition) to wait for their meal. They were not kept waiting long – it was soon delivered by a polite waiter in the hotel's livery. They thanked him cheerfully, tipped him and then settled down to eat.

They were both incredibly hungry so for a short while the conversation ceased while they both applied themselves to the delicious food. It took every inch of Theseus's self-control not to forget his manners and inhale it. Phryne looked like she was similarly enjoying her duck; a little colour coming back into her pale cheeks and her posture becoming a little more relaxed.

When their stomachs were appeased and the dishes clear, Phryne stacked them tidily on the sideboard and went to pour them both another glass of Ogden's, while Theseus collapsed appreciatively on the sofa and started to laugh.

"What's so amusing?" asked Phryne with a smile, her eyes fond.

"I still can't believe you two pinched an unauthorised portkey," Theseus chuckled quietly. "Hector Fawley's daughter and Torquil Travers's nephew, blatantly flouting the law!"

"Well, none of us have ever been in favour of doing things the easy way, have we?" Phryne stated, handing him his drink and sitting down beside him on the sofa.

"I can't even begin to imagine what your father is going to say," Theseus responded. "Why didn't you just wait a few hours and do things the usual way?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll have plenty of words to express his disappointment, he always does when it comes to me," Phryne shrugged lightly, but Theseus wasn't fooled. Better than anyone he knew just how much pain and bitterness there was between Hector Fawley and his daughter. "But Piquery's message didn't say how seriously you'd been injured – she just said your condition was serious. We didn't know for sure that you'd last long enough for us to wait for the approved way. And I wasn't going to risk that."

The atmosphere in the room seemed to shift suddenly and the colour in their cheeks was not only due to the whisky.

"It means a lot," said Theseus quietly, his voice low and ardent. "That you would take those risks for me."

"Well," said Phryne, reaching out and gently moving a lock of hair out of his eyes, her face more unguarded now than it had been since she had first entered his hospital room that morning. "It turns out I find the idea of a world without you in it more than I can bear."

Theseus held her gaze for a long moment, ten years of longing and anguish crackling between them like muggle electricity. Then, seemingly coming to a decision, he surged forward, cupping her face and pressed his lips to hers. Phryne kissed back desperately and it seemed suddenly as though a dam had burst.

It was liking coming home; lips fitting together, fingers tracing cheekbones and necks and then linking together as though they were two halves that had always meant to come together to make one whole. The entire contents of Newt's infamous suitcase case could have paraded through the room in that instant and neither of its occupants would even have noticed, so wrapped up were they in each other.

They kissed again and again until they were breathless with the sheer joy of it. At some point, they'd risen from the sofa and got to their feet, though neither could remember doing so. Suddenly, Theseus lifted Phryne clean off her feet, feeling her legs go around his waist, and backed them against the wall, knocking over one of the chairs as he did so.

A few short moments later, Theseus's tie and waistcoat went soaring across the room, quickly followed by Phryne's shoes, stockings and underwear.

Given how long they had both waited for that moment, it was perhaps not the most romantic setting for their first time together; partially clothed and up against a wall as they were, but for them nothing felt more right. They paused only a moment for Theseus to cast a locking charm on the door and a soundproofing spell on the room and then their mouths didn't part again. Their movements were fierce, frenzied and uninhibited and when it was over, far from sated, they simply shed the rest of their clothes and retired to the bedroom.

Bathed in silvery moonlight, they spent the rest of the night wholly consumed by each other, everyone else in New York forgotten.


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter has taken absolutely forever to write. I absolutely adore Newt and Tina and think they're the cutest couple imaginable, but trying to get dialogue to come together for them was an absolute nightmare!**

* * *

 _ **Earlier that same day…**_

Newt left Jacob's bakery a little shell-shocked in the middle of the afternoon, walking the now-familiar journey to MACUSA as though in a daze. It was entirely possible that Grindelwald himself could have walked right past him, given him a cheery wave, and Newt wouldn't even have noticed!

Tina loved him, Jacob had said. She loved _him –_ Newt Scamander, socially awkward Hufflepuff and causer of creature-related chaos. Could it be true? Jacob understood people – certainly much better than Newt ever had or indeed ever could! Was he correct? Oh, if only he was correct!

And now, what was he to say to Tina? He was still angry and more than a little offended on Theseus's behalf at how badly his friends had misjudged his brother's character, but that was a little harder to hold on to now that Theseus had regained consciousness and seemed not to have suffered any lasting damage. Surely they would all apologise to Theseus now – and they could get to know his brother for the good-humoured, kind-hearted chap he was.

Newt had never actually done this before – how did one walk up to a woman and tell her that he cared about her very much? It wasn't as though he could just break out into a dance, like an erumpent could! Should he have brought her a cake from Jacob's bakery? Would that have been too much?

Arriving at the entrance to MACUSA with no real awareness of the route he'd actually taken to get there, Newt wandered through the main foyer in the direction of the auror department, his heart beginning to race and his palms now decidedly sweaty. Staring down Grindelwald had been less frightening than this!

"Hey, Mr Scamander!" He was jolted from his daze by the voice of the officious Abernethy. Bother the pompous fellow, what could he possibly want now? Couldn't he see that Newt needed to talk to Tina before he lost his nerve? "Madam Picquery asked to be informed the minute any of you turned up. She wants to be updated on the situation – you'd better go straight up there!"

There was nothing Newt could say to counter that; no excuse for why it was vital he saw Tina first instead. Although he was not actually an American citizen, MACUSA were letting him effectively act as a creature consultant to their auror team and so he had to toe the line if he wished to be allowed to continue in such a vein. He therefore obediently took the goblin-operated elevator right up to the top floor of MACUSA and made his way towards the ornate oak doors which guarded Seraphina Picquery's office. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he knocked quietly and obeyed the summons to enter.

When he stepped into the frankly enormous office, lined with leather-bound books, neatly stacked scrolls and glowing golden instruments, he found the president of MACUSA seated at a large, polished desk and busily writing. Her face, as always, gave nothing away and he suddenly felt exactly like a misbehaving Hogwarts student being summoned before his head of house.

"Madam Picquery," he nodded his head politely as she looked up.

"Mr Scamander," she returned, her tone neutral and formal.

Newt found the regal woman incredibly intimidating, even with the more cordial manners she had displayed after Frank had helped to save MACUSA's back after the fallout with Grindelwald. Something about the shrewd coolness of her stare gave the impression that she was a powerful, elegant bird who had just spotted a juicy piece of prey.

"You asked to be updated when there was a change in my brother's condition?" Newt said, nerves making him talk a little too quickly. He waited for her nod before continuing. "Theseus regained consciousness this morning. The healers have said that there should be no long lasting damage, thank goodness. The fracture in his skull has mended and there has been no further sign of bleeding on his brain. He should hopefully be released from the hospital at some point this afternoon."

"I am glad to hear it," said Madam Picquery, though privately Newt didn't think she sounded particularly glad at all. "I will of course let the British Ministry know that Mr Scamander the elder is out of danger. I am sure they will not hesitate to let us know their concerns in return."

The last few words were pointed and Newt knew this was a reference to Theseus's rather vehement objections to the way Newt had been treated when he had first encountered MACUSA. He had expressed them _at length_ to Madam Picquery on the first day of his visit; Newt was well aware that the president had no reason to think kindly of his brother. Equally, Newt knew that Picquery was conscious that Theseus was something of a poster boy for the British auror department and as such it was possible that there might be severe consequences for this breach in inter-ministry relations. Not to mention the fact that two of Theseus's extremely well-connected friends had come over to America to raise hell on his behalf!

"It is of course up to Minister Fawley whether he chooses to take this incident further," Madam Picquery continued coolly. "Though I hope that he will be satisfied that the perpetrators in question will be dealt with. Please ask your brother to schedule an appointment with me when he is well enough so that I may discuss it with him."

She gave him a nod of dismissal and Newt gladly fled the office.

Back in the elevator once more, he gave instructions to be let out in the auror department and again turned his mind to Tina. He would have to talk to Mr Graves as well of course, but Tina was to be his first port of call before he lost his nerve entirely. Set down in the familiar corridor, he thanked the goblin operator distractedly and hastened along to the office that Tina shared with Martinez; hoping that he would be able to go somewhere to speak quietly. He certainly didn't want an audience for such a conversation.

He had just raised his hand to knock at the door, when it opened from the other side and Tina almost walked into him.

"Newt!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Is everything ok? Has something happened to your brother?"

"Tina!" Newt said at exactly the same instant. "Have you got a minute? I wanted to let you know the news." They both smiled awkwardly at each other, each gesturing for the other to go first.

"Martinez is down in Queens dealing with a Section Five," Tina said, breaking the silence. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes please," Newt mumbled.

Once the door was closed behind him, Tina waved him towards a seat and offered him a cup of tea. Everything felt strained and odd; as though they were only just meeting for the first time, and Newt felt the urge to break that atmosphere as soon as possible.

"Theseus came round this morning," he told her hurriedly, watching Tina's face crumple with blatant relief. "And the doctors have said it looks like there has been no lasting damage. He was very much himself when I spoke to him earlier; no memory loss or anything."

"I…I'm real glad to hear that," said Tina quietly, looking down at her own hands. "Listen, Newt, I know we already said it when we brought him to the hospital, but I'm so, so sorry! I'm sorry we got everything so totally wrong, we should just have asked you in the first place when we thought something was wrong and we never should have jumped in the way we did."

"I explained to him what had happened," Newt responded, unhappily thinking of the bewildered expression on Theseus's face earlier that day. "He'd been very confused – he thought Mr Graves was angry that he hadn't worked out from his letters that Grindelwald was impersonating him, or that he'd inadvertently offended you all somehow. I wish I'd been more observant – if I had, I could have explained everything and we could have avoided this whole affair."

"He must think we're awful!" Tina sighed. "I'll apologise to him; if he's willing to see me. I don't expect him just to accept it, but I'd like to explain how we misconstrued everything. If I can get past his friends that is."

"Yes, it's probably best to avoid Steve and Phryne for the time being," Newt advised her with a wince. "The three of them are awfully protective of each other. I don't think Theseus is likely to take things further – he's not one for grudges – but given who Phryne and Steve are related to it's probably best not to antagonise them right now. They're both very talented duellists – not that I think you're not of course…that's not what I mean…it's just that they're both awfully angry at the moment!"

"I guest I'd be a hypocrite if I said anything about that," Tina said, embarrassed. "Given that's exactly how we behaved, and your brother didn't even deserve it!"

"You know, he's never hurt me in his life," Newt said softly, his gaze dropping too. "He fusses an awful lot but he's never been anything but kind to me. I never…well, I never used to…have many friends, but I always had him. I'd like it if you could get to know him properly now. He's very important to me."

"Of course. It's what we should have done from the start. I don't know what came over me. I just…I guess I couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting you…" Tina confessed, her face rosy with embarrassment now. "I don't like the thought of anyone I care about being hurt!"

"And you…you care about me?" Newt questioned hesitantly, his heart fluttering in his chest. He looked up and met her eyes, hardly daring to hope… Tina leaned over and gently squeezed his hand and his heart nearly stopped.

"I really do," she said, and smiled.

The rest of the afternoon was lost in a haze of contentment as he and Tina talked shyly about what they felt for each other and exchanged a single, chaste kiss that had Newt blushing to the roots of his hair. He almost wished they could stay there forever, but of course that was never going to be possible – eventually, they were interrupted by the arrival of Mr Graves and so Newt had to go over the story of Theseus's recovery once again. Graves seemed even more ashamed of their conduct than Tina; perhaps deservedly so given that he had known and corresponded with Theseus for years. Still, he too seemed keen to offer his apologies in person as soon as he could so Newt could only hope this dreadful misunderstanding was well on its way to being resolved.

Their discussions moved on to the Thunderbird trafficking case and so it was into the early evening before Newt realised the time and recalled that his brother had probably been released from hospital by now. Excusing himself hurriedly, he dashed back down into the main foyer…only to run into Steven Travers as he came strolling in through the door.

"Steve!" exclaimed Newt in surprise. "Has anything happened? I thought you were with Theseus?"

"No, no, everything's fine," Steven reassured him easily, with a languid smile. "He's having dinner with Phryne at our hotel at the moment – I realised there was a couple of things I needed to send over to my team in Blighty and I'd best do it before I forgot."

"I meant to be done here much sooner!" Newt explained. "But I got rather side-tracked and…"

"I shouldn't worry about it," Steven cut him off. "We've had so much to catch up on I'm sure we'd have bored you stiff. In fact, why don't you leave him to stay over with us tonight and then drop by in the morning? You look done in! I'm sure you could do with a good nights' rest yourself and we'll likely be talking till the early hours."

It did sound tempting. Newt hadn't slept well since the accident. "You don't think he'd mind?" he pressed, not wanting Theseus to feel like Newt had all but abandoned him the second he got out of hospital.

"Not in the slightest," Steven laughed. "He's in safe hands with us. We'll look after him. Anyway, I need to send the ministry a proper update on what's happened – Picquery's likely to have been scant on details again. Come and give me a hand, would you?"

* * *

Worn down by exhaustion and relief, Newt slept more soundly that night than he had in months. He'd apparated back to his apartment once he and Steven were done at MACUSA (he was glad there had been no run ins with any of the other aurors who were still keen to duel) and then, after feeding all his creatures, had collapsed face down on his bed, still fully clothed, and was dead to the world.

Much refreshed the next morning, after completing the usual routine for both himself and the various occupants of his suitcase, he wandered out in the direction of the Ritz. He could admittedly have apparated to the hotel but he was in a good mood and wanted to enjoy the chilly sunshine. It felt like a wonderful solace after days of stress and tension.

He should just be in time, he mused, to invite Theses to breakfast. Afterwards, he meant to take him to MACUSA so he could receive the apologies he unquestionably deserved. He hoped that now when they could meet with no misunderstandings between them that Theseus and Tina could grow to like one another. He thought again about Yesterday's kiss and flushed brilliantly, his spirits buoyant.

A helpful muggle provided him with two room numbers when he enquired after Phryne and Steven upon arriving at the hotel. Taking the elevator up a few floors – with no goblin in attendance this time – Newt found the relevant corridor easily enough, where the two room numbers he was given stood on opposite sides. He knocked upon the nearest door, imagining that behind it, Theseus and his friends would have risen early and were no doubt still catching up over coffee on all they'd missed over the last few months.

He waited a good few minutes, but there was no response to his knock. He knocked again and then resolved to try the second door. Just as he was about to turn away, the door slowly opened and the sight that greeted Newt caused him to do a double take.

It was Theseus who had eventually opened the door, looking as though he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. His hair was rumpled and sticking up in every direction, his shirt was buttoned incorrectly, his lips were swollen, and was that a _bite mark_ on his neck _?_ As the door opened wider, Newt saw the room which lay behind it. It looked like a herd of erumpants had been let loose on it. There were clothes strewn everywhere, one of the chairs was lying on its side and there was a _stocking hanging from the light fitting_.

The incredulous look Newt turned upon his brother was not unlike the one he'd given to his niffler upon discovering it in the act of robbing a jewellery shop. Theseus only offered a rather dopey grin in response, the sort Newt had only ever seen on him before when he was a little tipsy.

"Ah, good morning Newt!" Phryne breezed shamelessly out from the bedroom clad only in a pale pink silk chemise and cami knickers, as though it was the most natural thing in the world to stroll around in one's underclothes. Newt blushed furiously and averted his eyes. Seeing this, she took pity on him and, waving her wand over her own head, conjured up a plum coloured dressing gown.

"I…um…" Newt stared at Theseus helplessly, suddenly totally at a loss for what to say. "Madam Picquery wants to see you!"

"Be a dear, would you," said Phryne lightly, her hair also tellingly rumpled. "And tell them that Thee won't be along to MACUSA until tomorrow. I'm not really sure he's well enough to be out of bed yet."

Newt only just swallowed the dry response that he was clearly well enough to be doing plenty _in_ bed if the state of the two of them was anything to go by. Theseus just shrugged, his face still split by the same dopey, happy smile.

"Right," Newt cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I'll leave you to…I'll leave you to it then shall I? I'll be at my flat, so you can come and find me, when…when you're ready!"

"Cheerio," said Theseus cheerfully, and closed the door. Newt fled before he had to hear something he really did not care to and, rather than waiting for the elevator, took the stairs back to the ground floor two at a time.

He was just about to take off out of the front door when he spotted Steven sitting at a table close to the door of the restaurant with a pot of tea in front of him. When the auror met Newt's gaze, he waved him over to join him.

"Have a seat, Newt," he said by way of greeting. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Newt could only splutter in embarrassed incredulity, trying to explain what had just happened.

"Finally shagging, are they? Thank Merlin for that!" exclaimed Steven with a laugh, pouring Newt a cup of tea from the shining silver pot. Then, noting Newt's astonishment, he continued. "Sorry, old fellow, that was rather crass of me. But you've not had to watch them pretend not to be in love with each other for the last _ten years_. It soon got damned tedious, let me tell you! That's why I left them alone last night."

"Ten _years_?" Newt repeated incredulously, before swallowing almost a whole cup of tea at once and wincing. He should have let it cool a little – it was so hot it made his eyes water!

"Mmmh," Steven nodded in the affirmative, offering Newt a plate of toast. "Possibly longer – they spent a lot of time together at Hogwarts and I wasn't sure if they were on the brink of something in our last year. But definitely since the start of the war."

"But then why didn't they do something about it then?" wondered Newt. Was it possible that Theseus had been just unsure of what to do with Phryne as Newt himself was with Tina? That seemed unlikely – Theseus was charm and charisma personified. And Phryne herself was hardly a blushing violet!

Steven's expression grew sombre and he dropped his gaze to his cup a moment, busying himself by pouring another cup of tea. "Castor," he said simply, reaching over to top up Newt's cup too, his expression sad. "You know what happened to Phryne's twin, yes?"

"I know he sacrificed himself to save an enormous amount of muggles towards the end of the war," Newt responded carefully, thinking of Phryne's agonised face in the hospital.

"He did," Steve confirmed. "Well, Theseus and Phryne had both individually planned to take that mission to disarm the mines. Cas beat them to it though…and of course it was a trap. The Germans had laced the lot with curses, gasses and poisons. It was going to take out thousands of muggles, tens of thousands, as well as all of us and the rest of the British magic contingent, so Castor did the only thing that could stop it. He contained the blast from within a shield charm and blew himself up doing it. There was nothing left of him; we couldn't even bury him. I'll be honest, Newt, I thought we'd be saying goodbye to Phryne too within the fortnight. Hell, to this day I've never seen anyone so wholly shattered. For months, she didn't live – she just existed; she was a shell. And it hit Thee hard too. They both thought it should have been them who died.

"And so once we got home and we all started to function again, it was like Castor's ghost stood between them. Theseus felt guilty for wanting his dead best friend's sister and Phryne felt guilty for wanting her dead brother's best friend. They seemed to think they'd be disrespecting his memory. So they decided just to pretend they felt nothing, and were simply the best of friends, but a blind troll could have spotted them pining for each other. Then they both tried seeing other people – and that was a bloody catastrophe. They've been dancing around each other ever since. Funny thing is though, I'm certain Cas would have been delighted for them. There weren't many he thought good enough for Phryne, but Theseus would definitely have been one of them."

"He never said," said Newt quietly, stricken at the thought of Theseus hurting for all of these years.

"Well, no, he wouldn't have," Steven said kindly. "Because he was too busy pretending it wasn't happening. He never said anything to me either, it just happened to be right in front of me all of the time. If nothing else comes out of this whole sorry carry on, then at least it's forced the pair of them to stop denying what's right in front of them. Maybe I should be thanking your Yank pals – it's going to make my life a hell of a lot easier! Now, seeing as those two are likely to be occupied for most of the day, I don't suppose you fancy showing me round a bit, do you? This is the first time I've actually been to New York!"

Newt, abundantly grateful for the distraction, apparated the pair of them to the Central Park, where he showed Steven around the zoo and explained what had happened when his erumpent had got out of his case and promptly wrecked the place. Afterwards, they went to the museum that Theseus had previously spoken so highly of, deep in conversation about how to deal with the rise in pro-Grindelwald sentiment across the wizarding world.

Meanwhile, in a cosy bedroom in the Ritz, Phryne and Theseus lay in bed together in a state of blissful exhaustion. Having been occupied, as Steven had predicted, with amorous activities all day, they'd eventually taken a bath together and were now lying in a tangle of bare limbs and blankets, dozing lightly. Phryne was lying on her left side, Theseus curled around her, his nose pressed to the back of her neck, the pads of his fingers tracing gentle shapes on her arm and ribs.

"Marry me, Phryne," he said suddenly.

Phryne rolled over and smiled up at him. "Of course," she said.


End file.
